A Tale of Two Friends
by Talipatra
Summary: Bella has to choose between her two best friends. Formerly "Choose Your Own Twilight."
1. Chapter 1: And So We Begin

Tali: I'm going to try something different with this story. In a shameless attempt to get more reviews, I want the readers to let me know what they want to see happen. This way, there will (hopefully) be less bitching if I do something not everyone loves. Think of this as a "Choose Your Own Adventure" Twilight fanfic. Please tell me you know what those are. If not, I may have to weep for humanity. Those books were the shit and I loved them as a kid.

Basically, I'll write a chapter and give you two options at the bottom. You've got a week to tell me what you think I should do with the next chapter. I'm posting the chapters on Wednesday nights so readers/reviewers have until Monday night to put in a vote. Tuesday will be spent tweaking the chapter that follows that branch (with the hope that I can get two decent chapters written or one that can work with both options in the interim.) I've got a few ideas for things that will happen, so sometimes it'll just be a simple option, other times it'll be more important.

Let's see how this goes!

******

"Finally!" Jake shouted as I walked through the door. I grinned. I should have known I wouldn't have to search for them. "Where the fuck have you been, Swan?" he asked, pulling me to him in a crushing one armed hug. Jacob Black was a tall American Indian with beautiful russet skin and thick glossy black hair. I kind of hated him for how beautiful he was. He was also an incredibly goofy guy.

"I was working, dorko," I said affectionately as I pushed him off of me. We'd only known each other a few months and it was already like we'd been friends since birth. I'd met him back in May when I first moved to Dallas at a rodeo, as ridiculous as that sounded. I'd been there with my friend Rose Hale and her fiancé Emmett McCarty and we'd run into Jake and his best friend, Edward Cullen.

Edward came over then and gave me a hug, too. Edward was even more beautiful than Jake, if such a thing was humanly possible. It was really quite disgusting how much gorgeous was wasted on these two men. His too-long bronze hair was sticking up all over the place like crazy and his green eyes were lit up as he tugged on my ponytail. I slapped his hand and scanned the sparsely peopled bar for Rose before spying her in a booth a little ways away.

Rose was also beautiful. I was a firm believer in the fact that no ugly people lived in Texas. She had long blond hair and gorgeous violet-blue eyes and a figure Barbie would cut a bitch for. She was currently sitting on Emmett's lap, laughing at something he whispered in her ear. She caught my eye and waved at me. I waved back and turned to the guys.

"So what'd you guys do while waiting for me?"

"We're playing pool. You know how to play?" Edward waved his arm behind him to the pool table.

"Yeah, Mike loves it. We played all the time in college."

"Awesome, then you can help me beat Jake's ass. Bitch has taken enough of my money tonight."

"How come the one who's been winning is the bitch?" laughed Jake. "You're just bad and you don't want to admit it. I kick ass at this game Bells. You should be on my team."

I laughed. "How come there are teams? Can't we play three players? I think Rose and Emmett are…preoccupied." We all looked over and caught them practically eating each other's faces. Jake grimaced.

"It's like watching Edward and Jessica."

"Hey, shut up dickwad. You're just jealous that I found someone permanent who's not a crazy stalker bitch."

I raised my eyebrows. "Crazy stalker bitch?"

Jake grimaced. "I don't want to get into it. Seriously."

I looked at Edward who grinned. "Oh, it's pretty awesome. He hooked up with this random girl and made the mistake of taking her back to the house and telling her his real name. She found out where he worked, somehow got his number and calls and texts all the time. She wants you dude! She wants your big bitch weenie."

I laughed at the murderous glare Jake gave Edward. "Bet you won't be making that mistake again, Romeo," I teased. I turned to the pool table. "All right, are you ladies going to finish this game or can we start a new one?"

"I'll rack, you go get another round of drinks," Edward instructed. Jake rolled his eyes, but trotted off obediently. "We play for money, so $20 goes on the pile," he said, gesturing to the small pile of bills on the edge of the pool table.

I shrugged off my jacket and deposited it with my purse on a nearby table where the guys' empty glasses were stacked up. I pulled a twenty dollar bill out and added it to the pile, grabbed a cue stick and turned back to the table. "Can I break?"

Edward waved his hand to the table for me to go ahead and stepped back. I studied the table for a minute, then leaned down and expertly hit the white ball, sending the triangle of balls all over the table.

"Damn," said Jake, impressed. I turned to him and grinned. He held up a couple of shot glasses. "I got you a shot of tequila. All my new friends do a shot with me."

I raised my eyebrows and eyed the clear liquid. "I've never had tequila. What if I don't like it?"

He laughed. "That's the beauty of a shot. If you hate it, oh well, it's already gone. There's no sipping with shots."

I frowned. "So, you're doing the other shot? What about Edward?"

"Yeah, fucker, where's my shot?"

"At the bar, asshat. I only have two hands. There's also three beers waiting."

"Oh. Well, let's go get it and we'll all do the shot together."

Jake looked at me. "You're so doing this when I get back." Then he and Edward headed to the bar about 10 feet away. I rolled my eyes but leaned the cue stick against the table and picked up the shot glass.

I sniffed it, but there wasn't much of an odor. I stuck out my tongue and tasted the liquor. I made a face at the taste.

"Hey! No cheating!" I looked up guiltily.

The guys put the beers on the table and picked up the shots. I stood there, looking at Jake expectantly. He looked back at me.

"What?"

"Well, how am I supposed to drink this? All in one, but…is that it? Is there anything more to it?"

"Oh, yeah, you're a tequila virgin. Ok. Lick the salt side of the glass, but don't swallow. Hold the salt on your tongue, then shoot the tequila, then suck the lime."

I nodded, suddenly nervous. "There's a lot to keep straight," I commented.

He grinned. "Yeah, but it's so worth it."

I rolled my eyes. "Ok. Do we say anything or just do it?"

"Typically you just do it, but we'll say something." Jake cleared his throat but Edward jumped in.

"To Bella, our new friend…"

"Our new HOT friend…"

"Our new hot friend, who we look forward to getting to know better…"

"And corrupting…"

"Hey, shit-for-brains, I'M giving the toast here."

"You're doing it wrong."

"Fuck off."

Jake grinned.

Edward glared at him, then looked back at me. "To Bells, our new hot friend who we look forward to getting to know better and corrupting with our horrible ways. May you enjoy your time in Dallas as much as we enjoy you. And I don't mean that in a perverted 'let's have a threesome' way. Unless you're into that sort of thing. Then let's totally have a threesome."

"I'm not into threesomes, sorry. Besides, it'd be awkward with you and Jake. What about Jessica and Mike?"

"They can watch," Jake shrugged. "We can teach them a few new moves."

"Or just have them join in," Edward grinned. "Could be sexy."

"I'll pass thanks."

"Fine. Drink, newbie."

"You know, I'm not technically a new friend anymore. I've known you losers for four months now," I pointed out.

Edward narrowed his eyes at me. "You're the new toy until I say otherwise. Now drink dammit."

I laughed and raised my glass, clinking it carefully against theirs. I took a deep breath, then licked, shot, and sucked.

I coughed as I felt the tequila hit my stomach.

"Hot damn," I wheezed "that is awful."

The guys were laughing at me and Jake handed me a beer. I gulped down a few mouthfuls and looked up at them horrified.

"Why did you do that to me?"

Jake was doubled over he was laughing so hard. Edward had a grin on his face, too.

"What's so funny?" Rose asked with a slight smile hinting at her lips. She took the beer from my hand and sniffed it. "Is there something in the beer?"

I shook my head. "No. These…jerks made me do a shot of tequila."

She glared at them. "She's clearly a lightweight. Are you two trying to get her drunk? I'll cut off both your fucking balls if you go there." Emmett was grinning like a crazyperson as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

Both sets of eyes widened. "Shit, Rose, we're just initiating her. Get over yourself."

She rolled her eyes and turned to me. "You're off tomorrow, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow and Monday."

"Perfect. We're going shopping at my favorite thrift store and then hitting the mall. You need some serious wardrobe help."

I groaned. "Rose, I hate shopping."

"So? I love it. I'll do the shopping, you'll just be my Barbie."

I looked to the guys for help.

Jake shrugged. "I'm out. I got called into the shop tomorrow. Sorry babe."

I turned to Edward, hopeful. He grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I've got an early shift at the hospital. In fact, I should get on home."

I turned to Emmett. "Help me Emmett. You're my only hope."

"Nice use of the quote but no can do little padawan. I've got to keep this lady happy if I want her to keep me happy."

"Damn skippy," she grinned up at him.

I turned back to Jake and Edward and scowled at them. "Traitors. I thought you loved me."

"Oh, we do, but we only rescue girls we're screwing from Rose's clutches."

"So I have to put out to get a rescue? I might be ok with that."

Edward threw his arm around my shoulder. "Get over it, you'll be fine. Now let me kick your ass real fast so I can go home and get some sleep. I have to be at work in" he checked his watch "seven hours."

Rose squeezed my arm. "I'll pick you up at 9. Bye guys!" she waved as she walked out, pulling Emmett along behind her. I scowled after them then turned my attention to the game.

"If I have to go shopping tomorrow, no way am I letting you girls beat me at MY game."

"Oh, we'll see, princess. You talk a big game, but you're a midget, so we'll totally see."

"Wow…your trash talk is insulting my height, Bigfoot?"

Edward grinned. "Yeah, shut up and play asshat."

Jake rolled his eyes, but leaned over the table and made a shot, knocking a ball in.

Edward was eyeing the table when my cell phone rang. I bounced over, in a great mood as the alcohol lowering my inhibitions some and letting Fun Flirty Bella out to play. I grinned when I saw Mike's name on the screen.

"Hey babe," I smiled. "How's work?"

"Shit. I just wanted to hear your voice. How's Dallas?"

I squeezed the phone between my ear and shoulder and took my shot, making a ball in. "Fine. I'm out with the guys playing pool."

"Are you kicking ass?"

I laughed. "We just started, but yes, I'm ahead."

He chuckled softly. "That's my girl." He blew out a loud sigh. "Fuck I miss you."

"I miss you, too," I said softly, my turn ending. I settled into a chair at the table. I swallowed against the lump in my throat and took a drink of my beer. "I think it's my turn to visit, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. I was there in July."

"This fucking sucks, only seeing you for a weekend every other month," I grumbled, picking at the remains of the lime in one of the shot glasses. "Why did we do this to ourselves? I kind of hate Seattle right now."

Mike laughed softly. "It's not that bad. Rainy but I'm surviving. There's lots of days that are perfect for staying curled up in bed."

"But I'm not there to curl up with," I protested.

"Bells, your shot."

I nodded to Jake and stood up. "Look, email me tonight when you're free in the next six weeks or so and I'll schedule a trip out there, ok?"

"Sounds fantastic."

I grinned and made a few more balls in before settling down. Jake glared at me and came over.

"Give me the phone."

"No, I'm talking to Mike."

He huffed and leaned down. "Mike, let her off the phone. I need to kick her ass and I can't do it if she keeps making shots. You're not distracting her sufficiently so I need to take on that task."

Mike laughed in my ear and I grinned up at Jake. "He's laughing."

"Listen, babe, I've got to go. I'm on a cigarette break here so I need to get back before the restaurant collapses around my ears. Love you."

I grinned, warm tingles going through me. "Love you, too."

"See you soon."

I flipped my phone shut and narrowed my eyes at Jake. "You are an ass. I don't get to talk to him often."

"Not my fault. Your shot."

"What's going on?" asked Edward with such an innocently bewildered look on his face I couldn't help but laugh.

"Jake's irritated that Mike's not a good distraction to keep me from kicking your asses." I surveyed the table and saw that Jake had one ball left and Edward two. I had four. I grinned and nonchalantly knocked Jake's ball in. His scowl intensified.

"I hate you fuckers," he muttered, settling at the table.

Edward grinned at him. "You know you love me."

"Yeah yeah."

"Now now, boys. I'm all for gay rights, but this is a regular bar and I'm not totally sure they'd be real thrilled with you two embracing your man love at the moment. Any other time, fine, let your freak flags fly. I'll even chip in for the rainbow shirts."

Edward stared at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Jake's eyes were narrowed at me.

"I'm not gay," protested Edward. "I'm engaged for fuck's sake."

I shrugged. "A lot of gay men have a wife. It's called a beard."

"I have lots of girlfriends," pointed out Jake.

I grinned and shot another of Edward's balls in. He was now down to one and I still had my four. I grabbed my glass and drained it. This whole questioning their sexuality thing was great, I'd have to remember it. "Again, it could be you just trying to prove your masculinity. It's ok. I'm ok with gay men. I've always wanted a gay boyfriend." I knocked Edward's ball in and straightened up. "Either of you up for the job? It involves seeing me in my underwear occasionally."

Jake grinned. "Hell yeah. I'll be a gay boyfriend for that."

"No nookie, mind you," I warned with a laugh. I really shouldn't have finished that beer. The tequila was apparently more than enough to loosen me up.

"Maybe I'm a little gay," Edward was musing. "I mean, I do spend a lot of time on my hair."

I raised my eyebrows in mock shock. "You mean that hair isn't natural? Next thing you'll tell me is that you work out to have such a fabulous body." I raised his t-shirt and slapped his abs playfully.

He grinned. "Nope, that's all me."

"Bullshit," Jake coughed from the other side of the table. "You're totally a gym whore. I wake up to him doing push-ups and sit-ups and shit in the living room every day, Bells. I, however, am all natural." He held up and arm and flexed it, showing of a pretty impressive bicep. I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"You don't think that the whole 'I lift heavy things on a regular basis at my job' thing could have anything to do with the gun show you got going on?"

He grinned. "Either way, I'm impressive."

I made a gagging noise and pretended to throw up on the floor. The guys laughed and Jake pulled me against him in a hug. "Oh, come on. You know we're not really that self centered."

"I do," I admitted. "I just love teasing you and making you think I believe you are. You're so gullible."

Edward tickled me from behind and I squealed, pressing against Jake in a futile attempt to get away from Edward's nimble fingers.

"Hey now," Jake grunted as I put him between me and Edward. The position was amusing to me, Edward's arms wrapped around Jake from behind to get at me. It was not terribly amusing to the guys when they realized how they were standing.

"Dude, sorry."

"You should be," Jake muttered, releasing me.

I skipped over to the table and picked up the stack of money, neatly tamping it on the edge of the table before folding it in half and sliding it in my pocket. "Well, ladies, thank you so much for an enjoyable hour, but since I'm going to be kidnapped tomorrow, I need to get home and get some beauty sleep."

"Nah, that's for ugly people."

I grinned and patted Edward's cheek. "Thank you. For that, when I take over the world, you can be my personal slave."

"Sweet," he laughed and helped me into my jacket.

"What about me?" pouted Jake. "Do I get to be anything when you're queen of the universe?"

"Sure." I linked my arm with his as we headed out to the parking lot. "You can be my head eunuch."

He winced. "Why do I have to be the eunuch?"

"Because I'm the personal slave which means I'm the dude she jumps when she's lonely," said Edward smugly.

I laughed. "No no, my friend, you will also be eunicized."

"I'm not sure that's a word."

"It is now Mr. Fancy-Pants Doctor with your big stupid words. All my slaves will be eunicized. I'll gather up the most beautiful men for my harem."

"So we don't count for that? Bummer."

"No, you could count for that, but I'm not sure I want to have sex with either one of you. Especially since I know some about where your dicks have been. Frightening."

Edward laughed. "So you'll keep us around for entertainment and conversation, is that what you're saying?"

"And to fetch me things, yes."

"Great, I'm a glorified dog," grumbled Jake.

I reached up and patted his shaggy head. "With hair like that, you could be. But see, I used to sleep with my dog to keep warm back home in Chicago, so you could do that."

"Yeah, sex dreams about Bella with no release. What a gyp."

"Do eunuchs have sex dreams?" I asked curiously, digging in my purse for my keys. "Or do they lose all their sex drive with their penis?"

"I'd really rather not find out," winced Jake.

I looked up at Edward. "You're the doctorman."

He laughed and shrugged, twirling his keys on one finger. "I have no idea. I'll ask the next eunuch I meet."

Jake perked up a little. "Do you meet eunuchs on a regular basis?"

"Well, no, but it's bound to happen sooner or later, right? I work in an emergency room."

I finally got the keys in the door and pulled it open. "Well boys, it's been swell, but the swelling's gone down. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure sure." Jake pulled me into a bone crushing hug, kissing me affectionately before passing me over to Edward. His hug was a little lighter and I grinned up at him.

"Good night boys. Try not to dream too explicitly about me," I winked as I climbed into my car.

"Well, I wasn't planning on it anyway but now I totally am," called Jake as he and Edward climbed into Edward's silver Volvo.

I laughed and waved as I pulled out of my space and into the stream of traffic heading home.

******

Option A: Jake does something stupidish.

Option B: They BOTH do something stupid.


	2. Chapter 2: Guys Can Be So Dumb

Tali: Well, yay for all the votes! I'm posting this early because, honestly, all but one vote was for option b. Which I figured. So this chapter was essentially written last like, Friday. Really, Thursday. So...lol yeah.

Raven Jadewolfe made an awesome suggestion that I'm totally gonna take for a chapter. Not this one, I couldn't quite make it work for what I had, but if you're ok, Imma steal it. Also, she's got a fan-fucking-tastic story going called Love in the Time of Zombies that seriously made my day on Thursday. I had to go bug my husband and tell him all about it after I read everything. I would have gone while reading but I was too excited. I believe there was hand clapping, giggling, and seat bouncing. And I saw this as a 26-year-old woman. I'm not ashamed.

Anyway…on with the story!

******

The alarm went off far too early the next morning and I groaned as I rolled over. I'd downed two glasses of water before going to bed, so I didn't have much of a hangover, but I did have to pee like crazy. Leo, my orange tabby, rubbed up against my legs as I sat on the toilet. I scratched him behind the ears absentmindedly. I decided to take a quick shower before Rose showed up. I went ahead and shaved, not knowing what kind of shopping she had in mind. I wrapped my hair in a towel and my body in a second larger one, then padded out to the kitchen to put a bagel in the toaster.

While it toasted, I sat down at the computer to check my email. Nothing from Mike, but my mom wrote, giving me the mundane details of her week. I rolled my eyes and jotted off a quick reply, letting her know I was ok, surviving the big bad South, and going out with a girlfriend in a short while.

My bagel dinged and I ate it while watching the previous night's news on the dvr. I quickly dressed, pulling on my favorite pair of jean capris and a coral colored tank top. I slipped my feet into some brown flip flops and headed into the bathroom to deal with my hair. I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face. As I was about to turn on the hairdryer, I heard a loud pounding on the door.

"You better be up and ready to go!" I heard Rose shouting.

I pulled open the door and glared at Rose. "I have neighbors, you know."

She rolled her eyes and pushed past me into the apartment. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, just let me pull my hair back."

About 10 minutes later, we were at a small strip mall parked in front of a thrift store called Rethreads. Rose had talked the whole way about what we were shopping for and Emmett and a dozen other topics I didn't really pay attention to.

"So what's up with you and Mike? Things getting serious yet?"

I shrugged and held up a black leather mini dress. "Yes, no?"

"No." She shoved it back on the rack. "Unless you're going for retro dominatrix which you aren't. Mike?"

I grinned and moved on. "He still says he loves me and misses me, but I think he forgets about me unless he's bored."

"What do you mean?" She held a pink shirt up against me and made a face.

"He never emails or texts me, but he calls whenever he's got a break at the restaurant or he's totally trashed."

"Romantic."

"Very."

"So you don't think marriage will be happening anytime soon."

I sighed. "No probably not. I tried to end things back in May when I graduated and realized I'd be moving down here but he said we could make it work."

"And how many times have you seen him since then."

"Once."

She clucked her tongue. "Bella, I know you love him, and I know it hasn't been that long, but you've got to take matters into your own hands. Long distance relationships rarely work out."

I nodded. "I know."

"I mean, Emmett and I are, but we're living in the same city now after three years of not. It was shit not getting to see him all the time. You should live in the same town as your honey. Makes the booty calls WAY easier."

I laughed and shoved a sweatshirt decorated with peeling puff paint at her. She made a face and shoved it back.

"So who should I date then," I teased. "Jake's too…Jake. And Edward's engaged and you've got Emmett."

"Bitch, we will find you a kickass man if you decide to finally end things with Mike."

I chuckled softly. "Don't ask me to do it just yet. I love him and I'm not ready to get rid of him.

"Well, I'll start lining people up for when you are."

Four hours later, I had a complete new wardrobe: 4 new pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of pants, a dozen or more nice shirts for going out, a couple casual dresses and three dressy ones. At the mall, she'd dragged me into Victoria's Secret and I now had several sets of matching bras and panties. Apparently there was some kind of rule about seducing men: matching underwear was a must. I didn't point out that Mike liked it best when I wore my plain white cotton panties and one of his t-shirts.

"You know," I commented as we carried my bags into my apartment, "that was significantly less painful than I thought it would be. I didn't even go broke."

She laughed. "You're welcome. Now you've got lots of cute stuff to wear when you start getting out there and having fun. We're all going clubbing tonight when Edward gets off work. I think Jessica is coming, too."

I grunted. "Bitch hates me."

"Because you and Edward connect on a level she doesn't understand. I don't really get it either. I've never met two people who liked so much of the same stuff."

"Three," I reminded her with a laugh. "Remember Jake likes all the same shit we do."

"God, I know. You're like the Three Amigos or something."

I rolled my eyes, but pulled her into a tight hug. "Thanks Rose, I had fun today. And even though I despise clubs, I guess I owe you, right?"

She grinned. "You know it."

***

I hung back anxiously as Rose and Emmett headed inside. I really hate clubs. The loud music, the crowds of people pressed up against each other dancing like drunken idiots, the leers from guys all over, really, what wasn't to love about going to clubs? I looked around, trying to find an escape route. I was wearing heels so it would have to be a level surface or I'd fall flat on my face. Fucking Rose and her fucking heels. She paused then, like she could read my mind, and turned around.

"Come on, Bella. We'll need everyone possible to claim a table. Bitches get mean when it comes to prime table real estate."

I grinned. "I figured I'd wait for the guys and Jessica."

Her eyes narrowed and she waved Emmett in ahead of us. "You are not allowed to run off. I know where you live."

I smiled innocently. "Me? Run?"

"Don't play coy with me little missy."

I laughed and held up my hand in the Girl Scouts salute. "I won't run off."

"Swear?"

"Scout's honor."

She eyed my finger skeptically. "Were you really a scout?"

"For two years."

"Fine. But if you run off, I'm siccing Jake on you."

I grinned. "You know he's on my team over yours anyway."

She huffed but couldn't deny it. We all knew that Jake's priorities put me at the top for whatever reason. He claimed it was some kind of brotherly need to protect me from the evils of men.

"Fine, I'll trust you but if you betray me…" she left the threat hanging in the air and I rolled my eyes, shoving her lightly towards the door. We both knew it was an empty threat.

I watched until she disappeared into the club and then turned around, hugging myself and really wishing I could run away. I felt a small ridiculous bubble of panic in my stomach. We'd been to this club before and had come through it unscathed. I just wasn't totally sure about tonight being the same.

I looked up when I heard a cab pull up and heard raucous laughter that could only be Jake. He, Edward, and Jessica were climbing out of the cab. Edward, being the old fashioned gentleman he was, was helping Jessica out of the cab while Jake was running around the front of it towards me.

"Bells!" he shouted, like he hadn't seen me less than twenty-four hours earlier. He grabbed me in a hug and spun me around before dropping me back on my feet. I wobbled a little, holding on to him to keep from falling down. "How was shopping?"

I made a face. "Not too bad, actually. I got some nice stuff. Like my outfit?" I stepped back and twirled for him a little, showing off the jeans that hugged my ass and the strapless top that hugged my chest above my breasts and then was full enough I didn't feel too skanky.

"I do, actually. Think they make it in my size?"

"No one makes clothes in your size," teased Edward, coming up then with his arm slung around Jessica's shoulders.

All three of them were wearing jeans. Jessica had on some kind of sparkly top with thin straps and basically no back and heels that made me hurt just looking at them. The guys were wearing button ups and Jake had on sneakers while Edward was wearing some kind of nice black shoes.

"Shut up, I'm not fat."

"I never said you were fat," laughed Edward as we started towards the door.

"I'm big boned," grumbled Jake.

"Of course you are sweetie," teased Jessica, patting his arm patronizingly.

I grinned and rummaged in my purse for my id. "I love your top, Jessica."

"Thanks." She smiled brightly at me. She didn't really like me but she hid it pretty well. Rose was convinced Jessica was just paranoid I was secretly after Edward, which was completely ridiculous.

We headed inside and looked around. Emmett and Rose were at a tall table on one end of the bar that was probably big enough for three normal sized people. Throw in Emmett and Jake and it was going to be cozy. I grunted to myself but the sound was lost in the noise. I swear I could feel my fillings vibrating loose in my head from the vibrations of the music. Jake wrapped his arm around my waist and guided me over to the table. I grinned up at him as he helped me into one of the high chairs. There was already a round of beers on the table.

Rose and Emmett were finishing theirs and Emmett pounded his empty glass down, slapping the table and grinning at the rest of us. "Let's dance, baby!" he shouted, grinning at Rose.

She beamed back and hopped down out of the chair, grabbing his arm and practically dragging him to the dance floor. Jessica took over one of the empty seats and Jake took the third, Edward hovering between Jessica and me.

"You should dance," I shouted into Edward's ear. "Jessica looks like she really wants to."

He glanced over at her and grinned. She was doing the white-girl-dancing-in-her-chair dance: wiggling her butt and hips and bobbing her head in time with the music. I could see Edward laugh but I couldn't hear him. He leaned over and I grinned as I saw his hand rest lightly on her thigh, the other brushing her hair back from her ear as he asked her to dance. She beamed and nodded excitedly. She gulped down some more beer before hopping down, her long hair swinging around her shoulders in perfect curls as she followed Edward onto the dance floor, her hand clasped securely in his. I smiled a little sadly at the diamond ring that glinted in the dim light.

Jake reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. I grinned at him and he gestured to the dance floor, his eyebrows raised. I shook my head and gestured to the table. He frowned and scooted over next to me.

"Why not?" he shouted.

I laughed and leaned into him. He smelled so good I was half tempted to crawl into his lap and kiss his neck. He smelled positively edible. That thought was a little alarming. I never thought of Jake as dateable but after today's conversation with Rose, I was starting to see him like that. Sort of.

"We have to watch the table so no one steals it. You go dance if you want."

He shook his head. "I'll stay with you."

He sat back in his seat, his arm around my shoulders. I scooted my chair awkwardly and leaned against his chest, my head against his neck. His fingers traced lines on my bare arm comfortably and I closed my eyes. I could almost imagine I was with Mike like this. Jake tapped my shoulder when Emmett and Rose reappeared at the table and shooed us onto the dance floor. Jake grinned and raised his eyebrows. I shook my head and gestured for him to take Rose. He shrugged and looked at Rose. She grinned and headed out.

The others came and went. The guys all offered to dance with me and I declined every time. I was a bad dancer on a good day. I had a feeling if I got up and tried to dance today, I'd either end up hurting my partner, myself, or both and no one really wanted that. I was almost ready to go when I saw Jake making his way towards me, a grin on his face.

He put his head next to my ear so I could hear him over the loud thumping of the music.

"You ok?" he shouted.

I shook my head. "I hate crowds. I really prefer smaller group settings." Plus, these heels were killing me, even sitting down my toes were numb. And the stupid thong was riding up my butt-crack, per its name. Why I had to wear a thong with jeans I didn't understand but apparently that was another of Rose's rules: when going out, a thong must be worn. I was beginning to believe she made them up on the spot to see how many ridiculously uncomfortable clothing items she could squeeze me into.

"Come dance with me, you'll feel better."

He grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the chair and forward towards the dance floor. I hesitated, then lost my balance and fell into his arms. He laughed and helped me onto the floor.

"I'm not much of a dancer," I shouted into his ear.

He grinned and pulled my hands to him, putting them on his hips, then putting his hands on my hips. He pulled me closer so we were touching and started rolling his hips. I struggled to roll with him. With the four-inch heels, I was still practically a foot shorter than him. I was looking down at his hips, concentrating when I felt him laughing. I looked up, startled.

"What?"

"You're cute when you concentrate. You stick your tongue out the corner. It's pretty fucking sexy."

I blinked and stopped moving. Sexy? No one had ever really referred to me that way, not even Mike. Sweet, cute, adorable, pretty, beautiful, sure. Sexy or sultry, no.

Jake laughed and pulled me against him, his hands moving my hips with the music. It took a little while but by the third song, I finally loosened up a little and started to move with him on my own. He grinned at me, lowering his head and lightly kissing my bare neck, right where it met my shoulder. His lips lingered on my skin, lightly brushing up and down. I shivered in spite of the heat of the dance floor. In fact, now that I thought about it, I was too hot. I stepped back.

"Jake…I…" I looked up at him, panicked, then turned and moved as quickly as I could, pushing through the throngs of people.

I stumbled outside and gulped in lungfuls of air, trying to calm my nerves.

"Bella! Are you ok?" I looked up and saw Jake looking down at me anxiously. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't think. I was just…in the moment, you know?"

"Its fine, I'm fine," I lied, shaking my head. "I just…I kinda freaked out in there. Are you ok?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm freaking out. Come on, let's go somewhere and talk."

He reached for my arm but I stepped back quickly, nearly falling. "No, I'm fine. I just want to go home. I want Mike."

He winced and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry, Bells. I really am. Let me come home with you, make sure you get there ok. I swear, I won't even get out of the cab if you don't want me too. I'm just worried about you."

"No, Jake, I'm fine. Really. I just…I really want to go home and call Mike."

He nodded and looked at me, pained. "I'm sorry."

"I know."

"You want to punch me or anything?"

I laughed softly, wiping at the tears that had formed in my eyes. "No, Jake. I'm fine."

"You know what that stands for, right?"

I grinned and nodded. "Freaked out, insecure, neurotic and emotional."

He sighed and pulled me into an awkward hug. "I love you, Bells."

"Love you too, Jake." I pulled away from him, not looking at him.

"You know Rose will kill me if something happens to you if I let you go home alone right now."

I rolled my eyes. "We just won't tell her then."

He grinned. "You're the shit."

He held up a hand and hailed me a cab, helped me in and then stood there, obviously torn between doing what he felt was right and doing what I asked him to.

"You're sure you're ok?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine, Jake. I'd tell you if I wasn't. I promise."

He nodded but seemed skeptical. I sat back and he shut the door. I didn't look back, but I was sure he watched until the cab disappeared around the corner.

It took about fifteen minutes to get back to my apartment. I paid and headed inside, slipping off my heels as soon as I was inside. My feet were numb at this point. I wanted to change but more than that, I wanted to talk to Mike. It was nearly 3 am here which meant it was only about 1 in Seattle. He was probably still awake, especially if he'd worked tonight. I punched in his number and paced in the apartment, listening to the rings on the phone. Finally, a woman picked up.

"Hello?" she sounded out of breath. I froze, not sure what to do. I checked the phone, but I had called Mike's cell. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Um…hi. Is Mike there?" I finally managed.

An annoyed sigh. "Yeah, hang on."

I heard muffling noises, then Mike's voice, faintly asking who was on the phone. The woman replied she didn't know. He took the phone.

"Yeah?" he was annoyed too.

"It's me," I said flatly, suddenly wishing I'd stayed at the club.

"Me wh….shit. Bella?"

"Yeah. Who's the girl?" I said it much calmer than I felt.

Silence. "She's sort of…my girlfriend."

"Oh. I thought I was your girlfriend."

"Shit, Bella, you're halfway across the country. You didn't expect me to sit around waiting for you did you?"

"Well, yeah, actually, I did. You were the one who didn't want to break up in May. You were the one who said we could make this work."

More silence. "Well, I was wrong."

I felt tears coming to my eyes. "Fuck you." I flipped the phone closed and stared at it, half expecting to get a call back. After five minutes, there was nothing.

A sob heaved up from my chest. I managed to get to my room where I collapsed across my bed and started crying. After about 20 minutes, I pulled up Rose's number on the phone.

"Hey girl, where the fuck are you? Jake said you went home."

"Rose," I managed before bursting into tears again.

"Shit. Which guy did it? I'll rip his fucking balls off."

"Mike's sleeping with some …. Whore. Right now." I sobbed again.

"Asscock. Where are you? I'm coming right now."

"I'm at home," I hiccupped. "Don't tell the guys, they'll get stupid."

"Whatever. I'm on my way."

I nodded miserably and curled up, the phone clutched to my chest. This was not going the way I'd thought it would. My life was turning to shit. First one of my best friends basically fucked up our relationship with a ridiculous kiss or maybe I was the one fucking things up. Then I call my boyfriend for a little comfort and his whore answers the phone. My head hurt from crying already.

About twenty minutes later there was a pounding on the front door. I dragged myself into the other room and opened it, my eyes widening at the sight of Rose and Emmett in the doorway. She looked like she could spit fire.

"He is so lucky he's not here," she growled.

I blinked as Emmett of all people grabbed me in a fierce bear hug. "He's an asshole," he said softly, shaking me lightly. I pressed my face into his chest and cried a little into his shirt.

"Oh, come here sweetie," Rose sighed, prying me away from Emmett. I wrapped my arms around her and cried into her shirt now. She said something and a little bit later I heard the door open and shut and I could tell Emmett was gone.

"You wanna hear something ridiculous?" asked Rose after a while. We were lying in my bed and she was finger combing my hair back from my face. "It might not make you feel better but I'm dying to tell someone."

I raised my eyebrows. "What?"

She leaned forward, a grin on her face. "Edward started making out with some random chick at the club before you left. I was looking for you to tell you when my phone rang."

My jaw dropped. "Did Jessica see?"

"Hell yeah. She grabbed the chick's extensions and dragged her outside and beat her ass to a pulp."

I stared at her in shock. "Jessica? Little bitty thing that looks like she couldn't hurt a fly?"

She nodded, her eyes shining. "It was awesome. The other girl didn't stand a chance."

"What about Edward?"

"Oh, I pity him. She grabbed him by the ear like a mom in some old movie and dragged him down the street, shouting at him about love and fidelity and all that shit."

I shook my head and sighed. "So what's going to happen to them now?"

Rose reached over and gently wiped away a few tears that were on my face from earlier. "I'm not sure," she said honestly "but if he doesn't want to lose her, he's got a shit-ton of groveling to do. You don't just fucking go there with another girl like that."

I nodded and my face crumpled as I thought about Mike. Rose clicked her tongue and rolled me over before cuddling up to my back. "Go to sleep, sweetie. It'll all be better in the morning, I swear."

It didn't feel that awkward to fall asleep with Rose like that, her arms around me comfortingly. I woke up slightly in the night to her pulling the blanket up over us. I started to cry again and she shushed me, muttering something about ripping Mike's balls off and forcing them down his throat or jamming his penis into his ear. I wasn't at a point where I was ready to think such horrible things about him so they only made me cry more. She finally stopped talking and let me cry.

"Rose," I rasped around 5 am.

"Yeah?"

"Is it possible to love and hate someone at the same time?"

"Obviously. Otherwise you wouldn't be feeling like such shit. Now go to sleep, chickadee."

I nodded and closed my eyes, hiccupping quietly as I drifted back to sleep again.

******

Tali: So, thoughts? I need the votes, but I'd love to hear suggestions or thoughts. Or, you know, both. So far (Thursday night) no one has picked up on the two random movie quotes in the last chapter. Sad day for Tali.

Option A: Sardines

Option B: Tag


	3. Chapter 3: Tag You're It!

Tali: Hey all! I hope you're all enjoying this story! I've gotten some interesting suggestions and I'm going to take them, but in my own way. You'll see it in the future. ;-I

I'm not getting tons of votes, so pass the word, people! lol

Also, voting ends Monday nights for a chapter to hopefully be posted either Tuesday evening or Wednesday, depending on what I've got written. I have absolutely nothing written for Chapter 4 because the beginning is dependent on the outcome of this chapter's vote…so vote!

Oh, and enjoy.

***

I was woken up the next morning by a knock at the door. Rose didn't move in the bed next to me, so I dragged myself out to the living room. Leo rubbed against my legs, hoping I would feed him. I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror and grimaced. I looked horrible. My hair was sticking up all over the place, my makeup was smudged and I had pillow lines on my face.

I adjusted my shirt, pulling it back into place and opened the door. I froze when I saw Jake standing there with a bag and container with some coffee cups in his hands.

"Can I come in?" he asked nervously.

I mutely stepped aside. He came in and carefully set everything on the kitchen table. I quietly moved past him to shut the door to my bedroom so we wouldn't wake up Rose.

"Why are you here, Jake," I asked tiredly.

"Word gets around. I'm sorry about last night."

I studied him for a moment. "Which part?"

He ran his fingers through his hair. "All of it. Shit, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I was drunk and I should have kept my dick to myself."

I rolled my eyes. "Your dick was nowhere near me. It was your lips."

"Well, it's all attached. The dick was in control last night and I'm sorry about that."

I sighed. "I was buzzed, too. Let's just be glad nothing else happened, ok? Besides, you've already apologized like a million times."

He nodded. "So…are we cool?"

I grinned at him. "Yes. But no more dancing for us."

He laughed and pulled me into a hug. "So, want me to fly out to Seattle and kick Mike's ass?"

I snorted. "Sure, but I think you'll have to get in line behind Rose. She was pretty pissed last night."

"I'll take her along. I think Edward would like a chance at him, too, so his ass is grass."

I squeezed him and released. "So what'd you bring?"

"Breakfast. I stopped at Nora's on the way and got your favorite: blueberry pancakes."

I grinned. "You are my favorite. Let me change real quick and do something with my face."

"No problem. I'll get plates out."

I ducked into my bedroom and pulled out a sundress. I slithered out of the wrinkled jeans and top and pulled the sundress over my head. I swapped the thong for regular panties and headed into the bathroom, pulling the door shut behind me. I pulled my crazy hair back into a bun and scrubbed the make-up off my face before brushing my teeth. Since I hadn't brushed before bed, they felt like they were wearing little sweaters. I had to admit, I felt better just changing and cleaning up a little.

I came out of the bathroom and Jake was already at the table, digging into some scrambled eggs. He was offering a chunk to Leo who was purring loudly. I grinned and grabbed some juice out of the fridge.

"You're spoiling him, you know."

Jake grinned up at me. "He was hungry."

"You know where the cat food is," I laughed, scooping some food onto my plate.

We ate in comfortable silence for a while. The food was good and I was exhausted from being up half the night crying.

"Bells?"

I looked up and realized I was crying again. I wiped the tears away and gave him a wobbly smile. "Sorry. We were together for a couple years, you know?"

"He's an ass who doesn't know what he's giving up," he scowled. "I'm serious. I'll go kick his ass for you."

I smiled and reached across the table to squeeze his hand. "Not necessary but completely appreciated."

"What's not necessary?"

We looked up to see Rose shuffling out of my bedroom looking like something out of a horror film. Much like me, her hair was insane and her make-up was smudged. Her clothes looked horrific in the light of day, wrinkled and it looked like they were some stained. Maybe she'd spilled something on them the night before after I left. She shoved Jake over and plopped onto the bench beside him, helping herself to his orange juice.

"He's offered to go kick Mike's ass," I said with a grin as Jake grabbed himself another plate and filled it up again. He had seriously brought enough food for about six people.

"We should put together a Mike's ass kicking party and do it," she said decisively. "No one fucks with my posse."

I snorted into my coffee, coughing as I managed to inhale some of it. "Posse? What is this, the old west?"

She grinned at me. "You _are_ in Texas, Chickadee."

I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything to that.

"So what are the plans for today?" demanded Jake, wiping his hands on a napkin as he stood up and started to clear the table.

"I was thinking sleep," volunteered Rose. "We were up late bashing Mike and his pea sized testicles. That takes a lot out of a girl."

Jake paused at the sink, looking at us. "I'm not sure if I should be concerned that Bella actually slept with a guy with no dick or amazed at the shear awesomeness of performing such a task."

"God, seriously people. Until last night, you all liked him," I protested.

"Well, that's because we didn't know better. Now we do. Now we hate him," Rose shrugged and padded towards the bathroom. I could hear water running a moment later and she reappeared, scrubbing at her face with a washcloth. "I think we're all much better off knowing the truth about the douche."

"This is an irrefutable fact," agreed Jake, settling on the couch and picking up the remote. "Edward will be over for dinner, by the way. We should have a game plan before he gets here."

"So I'm not going to be allowed to just sit and wallow?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Fuck no," Rose called from the bathroom. "Wallowing is for pigs. Mike should wallow." She came out then, her hair tied back and her face clean. "Fuck me I want to hurt him so much."

I laughed and collapsed on the couch next to Jake. He wrapped his arm around me and I snuggled against his chest comfortably, the previous night's awkwardness forgotten. I was glad of that fact. I'd miss my Jake if we'd managed to fuck that up.

"We should get trashed," decided Jake. "Like, super trashed. And play games."

"Like drinking games?" asked Rose with a yawn as she settled in the arm chair.

"No, like children's games." I twisted in my seat and looked up at him in amazement. Jake was totally serious. "Maybe Candyland or Chutes and Ladders. Life. Shit like that."

I giggled against his chest, the situation ten times more absurd due to my extreme exhaustion. "Strip Twister," I volunteered. "Battleship or Parcheesi."

"I would totally kick your ass at Battleship," he grinned down at me affectionately.

"No doubt," I yawned. "I hate that fucking game. And Monopoly. I _despise_ Monopoly."

"So ok, we're going to have a Battleship and Monopoly marathon but skew them towards the adult," he laughed. "Strip Battleship and Monopoly the drinking game."

I groaned and poked his side lightly before pushing myself up. "I'm going to take a shower and probably lay down for a while. You're welcome to do whatever the fuck you want. Just wake me when Edward gets here."

He nodded and Rose stood then. "If you're showering and sleeping, so am I."

"Oh god, tell me you're going to do it together." Jake leaned forward eagerly.

Rose and I looked at each other and she quirked an eyebrow at me. I stepped towards her and put my hands on her waist. "Interested?" I teased.

She grinned. "I would, but I have no clothes here and you're too short, midget."

I looked over my shoulder at Jake. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. "Sorry, Jake. No clothes is a no go. Plus, she's an Amazon. The mechanics of it just make it difficult."

"You two are such cock-teases," he grumbled, sitting back on the couch.

Rose laughed. "Oh come on, you know we love driving you three boys crazy. It's what makes us…us."

"Fuck you," he laughed. "Bring Emmett when you come back."

She nodded and looked over at me. "Are you going to be ok without me?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll survive. Jake's here to make random comments about the state of Mike's sexual organs and to threaten to go to Seattle to kick his ass for me."

"Well, just as long as the threats and comments continue."

"I'm on it, Amazon Cock-Tease."

Rose pulled me into a hug. "See you later."

"Bye." I watched until she got to her car then shut and locked the door. I guess Emmett must have brought it over at some point and taken a cab home. I was too tired to really question it. I turned to look at Jake. He'd settled on some movie with lots of explosions and shit going on. I rolled my eyes and squeezed his shoulder before heading to the bathroom.

The hot water felt good against my skin. I indulged in a little cry but not too much. I didn't want Jake busting into the bathroom and catching me naked. I scrubbed myself clean and stepped out carefully, wrapping in towels before leaving the bathroom. I paused in the little hallway and stared at the screen.

"Are you watching _Terms of Endearment_?" I asked incredulously.

Jake looked up at me guiltily. "It was already on."

"Oh my god are you crying?"

"Shut up, no." he quickly wiped at his eyes.

"You are," I laughed, crossing the room and sitting next to him. "It's ok. It's a fucking sad scene."

He scowled at the screen and I put my arm around his shoulders. "It's just not fucking fair. That kid's got to grow up without a mom now."

I rubbed his shoulders, suddenly getting it. Jake's mom died when he was little. "I know. It sucks."

He looked over at me then and his eyes widened. "Shit, you're not wearing any clothes."

"Yeah, funny thing, I prefer to shower without my clothes on."

He grinned and lightly pushed me away from him. "Go get dressed and take your nap, you foxy vixen."

I laughed as I stood up and headed towards my bedroom. "You realize you just called me a foxy girl fox."

"I stand by it."

I shook my head and pulled on some black yoga pants and a white tank, toweled my hair as dry as I could and crawled back into the bed. I could faintly hear the TV in the other room as Jake turned the volume down and shut the door to my room.

I stared at the wall for a while, then closed my eyes, but I couldn't sleep. I kept hearing Mike's sleepy voice in my head and that damn girl's voice. Whore. She was the one I wanted to kick in the sexual organs. I hated her on principle.

"Bella?"

I looked over my shoulder and wiped away a few of the tears on my face. "Yeah?"

Jake sighed and came into the room, wordlessly climbing into the bed with me. He pulled my back against his chest and kissed my head. "Cry all you want. It's a shitty situation."

I rolled over and pressed my face into his chest and just gave in. Jake rubbed my back soothingly, muttering nonsense words that didn't really seem to mean anything. After a while, I fell asleep, safe in Jake's arms.

***

I was woken a second time by a knock on the door. I managed to slither out of Jake's iron grasp and made my way to the door. I opened it drowsily, not entirely steady on my feet having just woken up from a pretty deep sleep.

Edward was standing in the doorway with a case of beer in each hand. "I brought beer," he said pointlessly, holding them up.

I grinned and stepped back. "Oh good. So what are you assholes going to drink?"

He grinned and set the beer on the table before turning and pulling me into a hug. "How are you? Everything ok?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine. Jesus people, it's not like someone died or anything truly horrific happened."

"I think calling your boyfriend and his whore answering the phone constitutes horrific," Edward mumbled, grabbing a beer and popping the cap off. He handed it to me and I took a swig. "So are you here alone?"

I shook my head and settled on the couch again. "Jake's asleep still."

Edward froze in the middle of lowering himself into the armchair Rose had been in earlier. "Seriously?"

I rolled my eyes and laughed. "He came in to comfort me when I was crying earlier and I fell asleep on him. I guess he stayed and slept some himself."

Edward had a funny look on his face as he finished sitting down. "So Jake's in your bed. Asleep."

"Yes."

"And you're ok with that? After last night?"

"How do you know about last night?"

"People talk. He was freaked out by it and ended up telling me everything when we got back. I told him if you wanted me to I was going to castrate him."

I laughed and shook my head. "No need to castrate him."

"Ok." He took another pull on his beer. "But you didn't answer me. You're ok sleeping in the same bed as him?"

I stared at my beer bottle thoughtfully. "Yes. We talked and we're fine. We just need to avoid highly sexually tense situations."

"And sleeping in the same bed isn't one?" He looked incredulous.

I laughed. "It's Jake, Edward. Things with him are different than with a lot of guys. You know that. I'd feel just as comfortable with you in my bed."

He sat back and I saw a tiny flicker of disappointment cross his face. We sat in silence for a bit, sipping our beers companionably.

"So where's Jessica?" I asked curiously. "She not coming?"

He shook his head. "She picked up an extra shift tonight so she's working."

I nodded and played absentmindedly with the beer bottle. "What happened last night?" I finally blurted.

He groaned and rubbed his face. "Shit, I don't know. One second I was on my way back to the table, the next I was slammed up against the wall with some chick's tongue in my mouth and hand down my pants. At first I thought it was Jessica and then…" he trailed off. "I realized it wasn't her when Jessica grabbed the girl by her hair and dragged her out of the club."

I hid a smile at that mental image. Jessica couldn't weigh more than 110 soaking wet. "God, you're such a tool."

"I didn't know it wasn't her," he protested.

I shook my head. "Part of you knew, Edward. You've been with Jessica for how long? There's no real excuse."

He scowled down at the bottle in his hands as though it were the reason for all his problems.

"What's going on?" yawned Jake, stumbling out of my bedroom, his hair looking almost as frightening as mine had that morning.

"Edward's an idiot."

"I knew that." He dropped heavily onto the couch beside me, wiggling until his head was in my lap. He turned so his face was pressed against my stomach. "You smell good and you're soft."

"Um, thanks?" I laughed.

"You smell like cookies and home."

"I smell like home," I repeated.

"It's a scent. I'm sure there's a Yankee candle scent that's 'home.'"

"How the fuck do you know about Yankee candles?" I laughed, smoothing his hair.

Edward snorted from his chair. "He's obsessed with scented candles. You didn't notice them all over his room last time you were at the house?"

I looked down at Jake with astonishment. "Shit, are you actually gay? I really am fine with it if you are."

"I'm not, I just appreciate not smelling like a wet dog all the time, thanks," he grumbled into my stomach. "Jesus, people. I'm allowed to be a little metro aren't I?"

"No, not ever. You're an auto mechanic for Christ's sake," laughed Edward. "You're supposed to be all about chicks with big tits and string bikinis and motor oil and shit like that."

"I can appreciate the finer things in life like anyone else, I just also happen to enjoy having a nice smelling domicile."

"You hang out with Edward way too much if you're using words like domicile," I teased.

He rolled his head back and made eye contact with me. "Yeah yeah. We're a regular Bert and Ernie." He reached up and poked my nose with one finger.

I swatted him away with a grin.

"So what's the agenda for tonight?" asked Edward, breaking up the hand wrestling that ensued and opening another bottle of beer. Jake leaned over and grabbed one for himself. I watched him skeptically as he carefully took a sip, still laying with his head in my lap.

"Rose and Emmett are coming later, probably with food and alcohol. Other than that, I have no idea. Any suggestions?" I took another sip of my beer. It wasn't wise for anyone, let alone me, to drink much on an empty stomach.

"I vote we play tag," said Jake, his hand shooting into the air like an eager 1st grader.

I frowned and finger combed his hair. "Tag? Like the playground game where you chase each other around?"

"Yes. I kick ass at tag."

"Yeah, because you're used to running from the cops," Edward commented, taking another pull on his beer.

I snickered and kept combing Jake's hair with my fingers

"I don't run from the law, I just stroll along and the law can't find me."

"Dude, you're nearly seven feet tall and you're a Native American."

"They think I'm Mexican."

I rolled my eyes and thumped him lightly on the forehead. "You want to play tag here, in my tiny apartment."

"Well, obviously not here. We'll go outside and play. There's a park near here."

"We could go to one of the college campuses," put in Edward.

I took another sip. I could feel the odd warmth that cold beer spread through me. "I guess that'd be fine. I'll bet Emmett will play but I'm not sure about Rose."

"This game needs more than five people," Jake announced, swinging his legs around and sitting up. "I'm calling the guys from the garage to grab their girls and join us at the park. You call Rose and Emmett and tell them to get their asses to the park ASAP. It'll be tricky playing in the dark."

I rolled my eyes. "Jake, it's not even 7 yet. You know it stays light until like, 10 in September."

"Well, I plan on making this a marathon session of Sardines. Call her."

I rolled my eyes but gave him a little salute as I pushed myself up off of the couch and grabbed my phone out of my purse. My battery was low since I'd forgotten to plug it in the night before. I pulled up Rose's number and winked at Edward as I hit send. I was standing next to him and his hands reached up and grasped my waist, gently pulling me into his lap.

I went willingly, curling into the strong comfort of his chest. Edward smelled wonderful. There was always that underlying hint of antiseptic from the hospital, but he smelled like sandalwood and grass. It was nice; comforting.

"Hello?" Rose's voice sounded raspy.

"Hey bitch, it's me."

"Hey. What's up?"

I quickly filled her in on our plans and she and Emmett agreed to meet us in thirty minutes at the park a few blocks from my apartment.

I hung up and looked up at Edward. "They're on board."

He nodded and studied me. "Are you sure you're ok?"

I sighed and shook my head. "No, but I will be. Life sucks but that's how it is."

He pressed a kiss to my temple and squeezed me tightly before gently pushing me back to my feet. Jake reappeared then, a huge grin on his face.

"Bells, get some tennis shoes on and let's get to gettin'."

I rolled my eyes and headed into my room. I quickly changed into some jean capris and a fitted t-shirt, pulling on my rarely worn tennis shoes before heading into the living room again.

The guys were standing at the door, talking about basketball. I rolled my eyes and grabbed a hair tie out of the bathroom and pulled my hair back quickly before grabbing my purse and leading the way out of the apartment.

The guys grabbed the leftover beer and followed me out. We piled into Edward's car and headed out. We were there before everyone else, so naturally, more beer was consumed. I was starting to feel a little looser than I should but we were having fun. I stumbled over to the swings and started pumping my legs.

I closed my eyes and leaned back, enjoying the feeling of flying as much now as I had when I was a kid. I was trying to remember the poem I'd learned but the words weren't coming.

"'How do you like to go up in a swing? Up in the air so blue?'" I muttered, my eyes closed. I frowned. "Something about 'Down again.'"

"Bella?"

I yelped and fell off the swing. I threw my hands out to catch myself but luckily, I was only a foot or so off the ground. I could hear laughter as Edward's strong hands lifted me and dusted some of the sand off.

"You ok?"

I scowled at him. "I was reciting poetry before your big dumb butt came and startled me."

"Poetry? Really?" he was teasing me and I did not appreciate it. I pushed against his chest lightly as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and guided me back towards the cars where several of the guys from the garage and Rose and Emmett had gathered. Nearly everyone had a beer in hand. Seth, Jared and his girlfriend Leah, Quil and his girlfriend Claire, and Embry had joined the group.

"Ok," grinned Jake as Edward and I rejoined the group. "I'm going to elect Emmett to be it first because he obviously needs the exercise." He patted Emmett's stomach to make his point. Emmett didn't need to work out any more than any other guy here.

"You're the first one I'm coming after, nancy-boy," Emmett grumbled.

Rose patted his bicep. "Sure, baby. Just close your eyes and start counting."

He gave her a wet smack before closing his eyes and shout counting. The rest of us took off running to put some space between us and him. He got to about 32 before he got bored and shouted 100 at the top of his lungs.

He turned around and grinned, taking off after Jake who was perched on top of the play structure.

"Shit, I did _not_ think this through," he laughed, launching himself off as Emmett started climbing up the other side. He rolled when he hit the ground and took off running.

We ran around a while, tackling and hiding each other, laughing almost to the point of wetting our pants. Of course, the frequent breaks for beer didn't help much. By the time it was starting to get really dark, there was just enough left for us to each have one more beer.

"I'm hungry," I announced, polishing off my third or fourth beer.

Jared nodded. "Me, too. I vote we go get like, burgers or something."

"Tacos," put in Jake. "I love tacos."

"You love anything someone else pays for."

"Ain't that the truth," laughed Edward, giving me a high five.

Leah grinned. "I know a place that does awesome tacos. They're authentic, too. Real Mexican food made by real Mexicans."

"One more game and we go," decided Quil.

"Edward's up," grinned Jared. "You haven't had to catch anyone yet."

I groaned. "That asshole's fast. Let's just go eat."

"Nope, you have to run."

I narrowed my eyes at Edward. "Fine. This will be over in a few minutes so finish your beer and let's play."

He closed his eyes and started counting while we all ran. I knew he was coming after me, I could see it in that smirk he'd shot my way before closing his eyes. Smug bastard. I was going to hide. I racked my brain for a hiding place that he wouldn't think to look for me in. I grinned, an idea forming in my head. I crept around and hid behind the big van that Jared drove everywhere and waited until he stopped counting and took off across the dark playground, looking for the others. I carefully opened the door of the van and climbed inside, pulling it shut behind me quietly. Now I just had to wait until someone else got caught.

After about two minutes, I got bored. I was ready to be found. I lay down on the floor of the van and looked up at the ceiling, losing myself in my thoughts. Which, inevitably, strayed towards Mike.

I was almost to the point of tears when the door to the van swung open. A hand reached in and grabbed my ankle.

"Tag, you're it."

I screamed at the top of my lungs and sat up. Edward was standing in the doorway, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Shit, Bella."

"Asshole," I laughed. "You scared me."

"Whatever, come on. We're going for tacos."

Before I could fully process what was going on, he reached in and grabbed me, flinging me over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and running awkwardly towards his car.

"Edward," I laughed, slapping his butt, "put me down before you hurt yourself."

"You're not that heavy, Swan," he laughed, but he stopped and dropped me to my feet anyway, his hands holding tightly to my waist to keep me from falling on my butt. I did fall backwards and pulled him with me.

We were at his car so my back hit the window of his car and his momentum carried him forward so he landed with his full weight against me, knocking my breath out. I grunted and he laughed softly, his beer breath washing over my face, not terribly unpleasantly. He braced his hands on either side of my body, not moving his own. I grinned and reached my hands up, cupping his face.

"Dr. Cullen, your three or four or ten sheets to the wind."

"I may be. You might have to drive."

"I think I'm a little bit drunk, too, Edward. Someone sober should drive."

"Or we can stay here and let them bring us back food."

I was keenly aware of the fact that he was still pressed against me. KEENLY aware. I could feel every plane of his body against mine. I'd seen his chest and legs when we'd gone to the water park over the summer and had been impressed by the muscles that were there. He had nothing on Jake, but still. It was a pleasant surprise for a doctor to have muscles like these.

I was obsessing over Edward's muscles and the way his body felt against mine. I missed the weight of a man on my chest and having Edward pressed here…felt nice. Then again, that could be drunk Bella talking. Drunk Bella was speaking for the rest of Bella who hadn't had sex in a while.

I looked up at Edward's face, the light evening breeze playing with his hair. He was studying me with those green eyes that had caused a tiny little crush the first time I'd met him. I loved his eyes. Then I noticed he was leaning down, his breath getting hotter the closer he got.

***

Tali: In case any of you care, the poem is "The Swing" by Robert Louis Stevenson. I learned it in like, kindergarten and every time I swing, I think of it.

Option A: He kisses her.

Option B: He doesn't.


	4. Chapter 4: And Then He Kissed Me

Tali: Man…very few non-Edward lovers for this story. I just have to take matters into my own hands and make Jake a likeable guy you might be able to see Bella with. ;-I It's supposed to be a love triangle! Lol

There's a name in here I want to let you know how to pronounce. Guiliana is Julie-Anna. Guili is Julie. It's a real name of a girl I knew. Odd, I know, but whatever. She was a Peruvian intern at my hotel in Austin. Sweet girl, but…kinda dim, you know?

And, as always, the voting closes Monday evening for a post on Tuesdays.

Enjoy!

***

My eyelids fluttered shut a split second before his mouth found mine. His arms curled around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest more. His lips were soft and I could taste the beer on them.

My arms slipped up around his neck without my telling them to, my fingers lacing into his hair. It was softer and silkier than any man's hair had any right to be.

His tongue ran along the seam of my lips and I was contemplating opening my mouth to him when he was pulled away from me forcibly.

I opened my eyes, dazed. Jake was staring at us, his jaw dropped while Seth had a firm grip on Edward's arms.

"Edward, what the fuck? Are you trying to piss off Jessica?" shouted Rose, smacking him on the back of the head.

Edward frowned. "No."

"Then what the hell?"

"It was a moment, Jesus," he shrugged away from Seth, straightening his shirt.

Rose turned to me. "Bella? Are you ok?"

I flushed and nodded, pushing away from the car. "I'm fine."

"I'll kill him if you want."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine."

"I'm not. Shit. I think that was a fire ant bed."

We all turned and watched in amazement as Emmett suddenly started pulling his clothes off and dancing around like a madman. He was about to lose his boxers when Embry tackled him.

"Dude, no one wants to see your junk."

"I'm covered in fire ants," Emmett pleaded.

Quil and Jared grabbed Emmett and started dragging him towards a nearby house where a hose was visible in the yard. We watched and laughed as they hosed him down, washing the fire ants off his body while he writhed around on the ground like some kind of giant muscled fish.

Rose grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "You're coming with me."

"What about tacos?"

"Fuck tacos. You're coming with me and we're getting you the hell away from those guys. Seriously, you might want to consider switching teams, babe."

***

If I expected Edward to show up at my door the next morning with breakfast and coffee and apologies, I was sorely disappointed. Not that I had, anyway. It was a Monday morning, after all. He had to work at the hospital. Hippocratic Oath and all that shit.

My day was quiet. The hotel was busy but not unreasonably so. I went in late so I could stay until 7 that evening to help Guiliana with check-ins. It was all routine at this point so I had a lot of time to think over my weekend.

Who would have thought that in the space of not even twenty-four hours, I'd break up with my long-term boyfriend and get kissed in some way by my two best guy friends? One of whom was engaged? It all gave me a headache as I tried to figure out how I felt about it, about them.

I loved Jake and Edward, I really did. Jake admitted that it was hormones and environment and alcohol. Edward…hadn't said a word. I checked my phone a million times to see if he'd called or texted or emailed and nothing. I wasn't sure what I expected, really, but absolute silence wasn't it.

I was standing at the desk giving Guili my last instructions when a strong arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"Bella, how've you been?"

I looked up, startled, into the warm brown eyes of James. He was a regular guest and a real sweetheart. "Hey, how's good ole SLC?"

He grinned and dropped his bags, digging his wallet out of his back pocket to fish out his wallet. "Still standing. At least it was as of 5 am this morning."

I grunted my sympathy. "That's way too early for me."

He laughed and shook his head while Guili swiped his card. "You and me both. My wife hates that I get up so early to come to Texas."

"So here for the week then?"

"Yes ma'am." He grinned at me. "How was your weekend?"

How much to tell him? A pretty strict Mormon, I doubted he wanted to hear about me clubbing, drinking and making out with my best friend who was engaged. "Oh you know, same old. Hanging out with friends, playing games, sleeping."

He nodded approvingly. "You have any plans for this evening?"

"Laundry," I laughed. "That's the one thing I didn't get to this weekend. That and dinner and a movie on the couch."

"Oh, that reminds me." he tucked his key pack into his shirt pocket and knelt beside his bag, digging in it for a second. "My wife sent you some brownies as a thank you for taking care of me. I snitched a couple for lunch today, hope you don't mind."

My heart melted a little as he produced a large Ziploc bag full of brownies. Some looked a little smushed, but I didn't care. My mouth was watering just looking at them.

"She didn't have to do that," I protested, reaching for the bag automatically.

He laughed. "I told her that but she feels like you're my Texas wife. She's hoping to come out and just stay here for a weekend with me soon. She really wants to meet you."

"That'd be great. You could actually get to see some of Dallas instead of just driving back and forth in it." I winked at him and fished a brownie out, offering it to Guili. She took it eagerly and wrapped it in a tissue for later consumption. I broke a corner off a brownie and popped it in my mouth, nearly having an orgasm on the spot. They were phenomenal. I didn't think James would appreciate a public orgasm though so I kept it together.

"This is probably the best thing I've ever tasted," I announced.

James grinned. "I'll be sure to pass that on."

I nodded and broke off another chunk. "Please do. Also, tell her if the polygamy thing ever gets repealed, I'll totally marry her."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Over a brownie?"

"Dude, you know me and chocolate," I laughed. "Plus, you've brought me other goodies from her and everything so far has been great. I'm ashamed to bake anymore."

He grinned and checked his watch. "Well, I've got to run, Bella. She'll be expecting my call in a few minutes. You're in tomorrow?"

I nodded and sealed the bag shut, another chunk in my hand. "I am. Bailey's on tomorrow night but she was feeling bad today so I may be working the whole shift."

"Well, I'll come keep you company if so. We'll get a pizza or something."

I grinned and nodded. "Sounds like a plan, Stan."

He gave me another one armed hug before disappearing around the corner. I waited until I heard the elevator ding before grabbing the counter and resting my forehead on it, allowing a loud moan.

"Holy shit that brownie is better than sex."

Guili grabbed a chunk off of hers and popped it in her mouth. "Dios mio," she moaned softly.

I nodded and sighed, standing up and holding up the bag. "If you were a man, I'd totally marry you. I might marry you anyway. Who says love can't exist between a woman and a brownie?"

"I'll be your maid of honor."

"You'd eat the groom."

"So would you."

I grinned. "That'd be the best honeymoon ever."

She laughed and shook her head. "You're crazy, chola."

"Yeah, you know you love me."

She grinned. "I do. Now go home."

"Going. Besos!"

"Besos y adios!"

I grinned and headed out the automatic doors. The night was warm and fragrant with a light breeze, perfect for driving around with the windows down blasting my favorite mix cd. It was one Mike had made me, but for some strange reason, that wasn't really a bittersweet thing. I guess the anxiety over Edward and our kiss made it more sweet than anything. Maybe our distance served to lessen the hurt of the break up. Likely, I was in denial and it would all come crashing down on me later.

In an effort to avoid the tears and wallowing waiting me at home, I drove aimlessly for a while before finding myself at the guys' apartment. I sat in the parking lot, staring at their window for a while. The lights were on, so someone was home. I scanned the parking lot and saw Jake's Rabbit but I didn't see Edward's Volvo anywhere. I chewed on my lip before digging out my phone and punching in Jake's number.

"Black's Mortuary, you kill 'em, we grill 'em, first one's on the house."

"It's me."

"Hey. What's up?"

His tone was guarded yet still pleased to hear me. "Is Edward home?"

"No." The tone changed slightly. "I think he's at Jessica's. I haven't seen him since last night actually."

"You think he'll stay the night there?"

"Probably. Shithead has a lot to make up for with her from this weekend."

I grunted my agreement and toyed with the hem of my jacket.

"So where are you? You want me to come over and keep you company? I'm bored."

I laughed. "I'm outside actually. I didn't want to go home just yet and I somehow ended up here."

I heard and saw the door opening and Jake's frame filling the doorway. He was shirtless, like always, wearing nothing but a pair of athletic shorts. He was grinning as he walked towards my car. I cut the engine and climbed out. He ended the call on his phone as he reached me and pulled me into a bear hug, kissing my head affectionately.

"How was work?"

I grunted and hugged him back.

"Do I smell chocolate?" he leaned back and lowered his head, sniffing my mouth.

I laughed and pushed him away. "James Mason brought brownies from his wife. She calls me his Texas Wife or some shit."

"And you're sharing with your favorite mechanic, right?"

"Of course." I grabbed the bag of brownies and my purse and followed him back to the apartment. He hesitated long enough for me to catch up to him then slung an arm around my shoulders.

"So?"

"So what?" I hedged, setting my purse and the bag down on the end table before flopping on to the couch. The TV was paused on some type of sporting event.

"So what happened yesterday?"

I groaned and leaned forward. "Shit, I don't know. I think too much alcohol or something. It was like with you only…"

"Different," he provided.

I nodded and looked up at him. "I'm not a slut am I? Kissing my best friends within hours of breaking up with my boyfriend?"

"No, because 1. I kissed you on the neck and you ran away and B. Edward kissed you in the parking lot."

"I kissed him back, Jake."

He looked pained as he handed me a beer and settled next to me on the couch. I kicked off my heels and leaned against his chest comfortably. "You were drunk?"

"Maybe." And maybe a part of me wanted to kiss him, to see what it would be like. I took a sip of my beer thoughtfully.

"Well, we definitely helped you take your mind of Mike now didn't we."

I laughed and nodded. I sat with him quietly watching the football game for a while. I was drowsy and felt myself dropping off when he shifted underneath me.

"Shit, are you hungry? I didn't even think to ask before giving you alcohol."

I waved my hand. "Please, I ate like, five brownies on the way here."

He laughed and squeezed my knee. "You need protein, Bells. It'll make you grow up big and strong like me."

"I don't wanna be big and strong like you. I don't think rippling muscles are all that attractive on a girl and besides, how many 7 foot tall women have you seen lately?"

He laughed and pulled me up, wrapping his arms around my waist. I rested my cheek against his chest comfortably and closed my eyes. "Come on, I've got some hot dogs or some shit in the fridge."

He released his hold and led me into the kitchen. I settled on a barstool looking in and rested my head on the bar tiredly. I watched as Jake moved around the kitchen, pulling out the buns and the hot dogs.

"How many do you want?"

I held up two fingers, closing my eyes.

"Bells, come on, stay awake, just a little longer."

I dropped one finger and left the other standing tall. He snickered and a moment later I heard the microwave click on. I could hear the fridge open and close a couple more times and then the crinkle of a bag of chips. A moment later, I heard the chips clattering onto a plate and the microwave dinged.

I sat up then, opening my eyes in time to see Jake pulling the paper towel wrapped hot dogs out of the microwave and unrolling them onto the plate. He handed it to me and then the condiments followed. I prepared the dogs and then took a bite. It was great. I hungrily devoured both and the small pile of chips while Jake inhaled at least four hot dogs and a half bag of chips. We then polished off the brownies before retreating to the couch.

"I'm so fat," I grunted, undoing the top button of my pants. Jake laughed and prodded at my shirt buttons.

"You could change you know. I've got a couple things you might fit into."

I shot him a look. "If I fit into your pants I'm going to shoot myself."

He laughed, his eyes sparkling. "Yeah, I'd be impressed. I've got some drawstring shorts you might be able to wear and t-shirts are generally one size fits all if you want to change."

I sighed and picked at the hem of his shorts. "I should probably go home, actually."

"You can do that too." His arm was stretched across the back of the couch behind me and he was toying absentmindedly with some loose strands of hair. I was silent for a while, thinking.

"Jake, how weird would it be if I asked if I could stay here tonight?"

He looked surprised. "Really?"

"I just don't want to be alone right now," I muttered. "I mean, I've got Leo but…he's not that much company."

He nodded, his hand sliding down and rubbing my neck soothingly. "I'm ok with it if you are. You can have my room and I'll sleep out here."

I shook my head. "If anyone's sleeping on the couch it's me."

"You know there's always Edward's room."

My eyes automatically went to the stairs up to the second level of their townhouse where the bedrooms were. I'd been in both guys' rooms plenty of times, but I'd never spent the night. I'd feel better, as strange as it sounded, sleeping in a bed _with_ one of them than in his bed without him.

"I think I'd rather just sleep in your bed with you, actually."

"That's fine. You want to change now? You need a shower?"

"A shower would be great, actually. You don't mind?"

"Nope." He stood up and offered me his hand. I took it and let him haul me off the couch. I followed him upstairs into his room. I shrugged out of my jacket and took my hair down while he pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, dropping them on the bed. "Everything's in the shower. Holler if you need anything."

I nodded and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek as he passed me. I showered and dressed quickly, cinching the waist in the shorts as tight as I could. They still hung low on my hips but the shirt was big enough that it didn't matter too much. Honestly, if the shorts fell off completely I'd still be covered.

I hung up my suit and shirt and headed back downstairs. Jake had switched over to a movie and had another beer in hand. I grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and snuggled up to him. His arm wrapped around me automatically, comfortably, and we sat companionably and watched some guy who looked beat to hell saving the world.

"So you want to talk about Mike or Edward?" he asked in a low voice after a while.

I shook my head. "Nope."

"You sure?"

"Yep. I'm not up for a crying-induced headache."

"I've got pain killers. It's an advantage to living with a doctor."

I chuckled and rolled my head to look up at him. "Thanks, but I'm just interested in ignoring it all right now. Plus, Edward needs to talk to me about whatever the fuck that was last night."

He nodded, his fingers lightly stroking my hair again. "You want me to ask him?"

"No, I want him to come talk to me. Like an adult."

"Good luck with that."

"Why?" I pushed myself up more fully then and looked at him.

He was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Edward's a great guy and I love him like a brother, but…he avoids conflict. Like, if there was an Olympic sporting event or whatever the fuck they call it, he'd be a serious contender for the gold."

"What about all the times he fucks up with Jessica?"

He snorted. "She brings it up and he backs down. He'll do anything to not fight. He hates it."

"Great."

"Yep."

We sat in silence for a while longer. I felt my eyelids growing heavier. I hadn't slept well the night before on my own in the apartment with only Leo for company. In fact, I'd spent most of the night crying. Crying over Mike, crying over Edward, crying because I was lonely and far from home. I'd been tempted to call my mom but she hated when I was far away from her and upset and she couldn't do anything to help me. I hadn't even told her about Mike yet. I was dreading that conversation. I knew, even if I sent her an email, I would get a phone call no matter what time it was or where I was, insisting we talk about it and pick apart every single part of the relationship. I really REALLY wasn't up to that yet.

I let the sound of the movie and the warmth of Jake and the steady comforting rhythm of his heart beating under my cheek lull me to sleep. I woke slightly when he lifted me to carry me upstairs, curling into his chest then and when he crawled into the bed next to me a little later. I was half asleep, but I could swear I heard him whisper something to me. I didn't really hear it all at first, but as I was hurtling back towards the blissful black, it connected in my head.

"I love you, Bells. I'd do anything to make you happy."

***

When I woke up the next morning, I could hear Jake warbling in the shower. I frowned, trying to discern the song. It was difficult but I finally caught some words that seemed to be from "Brown Eyed Girl." I grinned and crawled out of the warmth of his giant bed and headed downstairs, yawning and pulling my hair back as I went.

I rummaged through the fridge and pulled out some eggs and bacon and set about fixing breakfast for the two of us. It was pretty easy to feed Jake: I just needed a lot of whatever it was I was cooking. I flipped on the radio in the kitchen and started dancing around to some 80's mix, alternately singing into the spatula and stirring the eggs. I jumped and spun around when I heard laughter behind me. Jake was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, his hair still wet from his shower. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, his coveralls draped over the back of a chair. I grinned and grabbed him, pulling him into the kitchen and clumsily two-stepping him around the small space. He grinned and spun me out and back and then laughed as I attempted to spin him.

"Oh shit, the eggs," I exclaimed suddenly, dropping his hand and grabbing the pan. The eggs weren't too bad off and Jake would eat them either way so I dished them up and ran upstairs to get dressed quickly. It didn't take me long since I just needed to get everything on before driving home to completely change. I hurried back downstairs, knowing Jake had to be at the garage early on Tuesdays. He grinned at me when I came hurtling back down the stairs.

"Careful, Bells, you'll hurt yourself."

I rolled my eyes at him and grabbed the toast off his plate and scooped some of the now cold eggs onto it, folding it in half for a make shift sandwich before stuffing my feet into my heels. "I'm getting better at stairs, actually. I ran up and down the hotel yesterday in heels."

"For the love of god, why?"

I laughed. "I was inspecting rooms. Jerry was out."

"Oh." He slid the dishes into the sink while I ate and dug through my purse for my keys. "You know, if you don't like living alone, you might look at getting a roommate."

I snorted and shook my head. "No thanks. I don't like going pot luck. You end up with some real crazies that way."

"So move in with someone you know."

"Like who?"

He was silent for a beat. "Well, when Edward and Jessica get married, you could move in here with me. We get along alright, don't we?"

I looked at him with surprise. "Really?"

He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Well, yeah. I mean, besides the dick move at the club on Saturday, we haven't had any issues."

"You really want to live with me? I'm warning you Jake, I can be a real bitch once a month."

He laughed and pushed me towards the door gently. "I know. I'm around those times, remember?"

"You aren't around for the really bad times. I lock myself up in my room. It's like I'm a werewolf or something. I'm not fit for company."

"You go to work," he pointed out.

"Yes, and as such, all my energy is expended in being polite and not ripping faces off."

"I can't imagine you being that mean."

"I'll hang out with you next time I'm PMS'ing."

"Deal."

I stood while he locked the door and then hooked my arm in his as he walked me to my car. "So you have any plans for tonight?" he asked casually.

I grinned. "Why, you want me to come over and spend the night again?"

He chuckled. "I'm not opposed to that, just thought I'd offer to come to your place."

"That might be nice," I agreed. "I hate to leave Leo alone a lot."

"What time are you off?"

I sighed. "Possibly as late as midnight."

"Ouch."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, ok. Call me when you know and I'll come by and we can watch a movie or something. You can fall asleep and drool on me again."

I blushed. "Shit, did I seriously drool on you?"

He laughed. "A little, but it was cute."

"You are so weird."

"You know you love me."

I grinned, but the comment from the night before popped into my head. I wasn't sure if it was real or imagined, but it made me a little uncomfortable. This was _Jake_ after all. He didn't do the romantic love thing.

"Against all reason, I really do." I stood up on my toes and gave him a hug and a quick peck. "Talk to you later, stud."

He winked at me and sauntered off towards the Rabbit. The car was anything but a chick magnet and yet, he made it work. I waved as he passed me in the parking lot before heading towards my own apartment.

***

Option A: Edward contacts her now.

Option B: Edward contacts her later.


	5. Chapter 5: Waiting for a Call

Tali: Heyo! I actually am writing this as of Monday afternoon (Tuesday, too) since the votes for this one were actually fairly even! I'd think A was ahead, then I'd get two for B and vice versa. Hopefully it's not a disappointment having only been written in a few hours time. We ended with a tie so my friend ktdcee was kind enough to be our tie breaker…Love ya!

***

I dropped my purse on the table by the front door and scratched Leo behind the ears as I absentmindedly pulled up my email on the computer. Nothing out of the ordinary, another rambling update from Mom, spam, and something from my best friend Angela. I groaned when I saw her name.

**Hey Bitches!**

**It's almost time and Ben and I are sooo excited!! I hope you've all gotten your dresses and everything. If you haven't, just hit up the Sue's Boutique nearest you and let them know you're there for the Cheney-Weber wedding and they'll hook you up. Shoes are there, too. And we're going with Wisteria as the color (pale lavender for those not in the know.) I'll write again about when you need to be there. Love you!**

**Ang**

I grimaced and quickly pulled up a map to find the nearest shop. I was maid of honor and I was seriously shirking my duties. I hadn't talked to her in ages and I hadn't even ordered my damn dress. Hopefully the other girls hadn't either so I wouldn't be the only one doing this late. I really hated purple though.

I jotted off a quick reply and then hurriedly changed for work. I had a couple hours before I had to be there but I left early to stop at the bridal store. I made sure Leo had food and water before I headed out and stopped at the mailbox as I drove past it.

I loved Angela and Ben, I really did, but their wedding was going to be the death of me. They'd changed the date, the venue, the color scheme, the everything so many times I almost doubted they'd ever actually get married. It didn't help they were getting married on fucking Cape Cod now and that meant traveling. I hated traveling. Well, alone anyway.

I pulled into the parking lot and swung out of my car, already sweating a little in the Indian summer so prevalent in Texas. I pushed my way in and looked around, immediately overwhelmed by the racks and racks of wedding dresses and bridesmaid's dresses. I felt a little claustrophobic to be honest. My skin was crawling being surrounded by so much satin and tulle and bride sweat.

"Can I help you?"

I looked up, startled, at a woman with too white teeth and too much make up moved towards me.

"Um, yeah. I need to get my bridesmaid's dress for my friend's wedding. Cheney-Weber."

She nodded, the smile intact as she led me to a computer. She quickly punched some things in, then beamed at me. "Oh yes, I've got you here. Are you Bella Swan?"

"Yes."

"Perfect. Miss Weber chose a lovely dress. If you'll just go to the dressing room, I'll have someone bring the dress to you."

I nodded and headed towards the back of the store, keeping my head down to avoid looking at the shit around me. I quickly slipped out of my suit and waited for the dress. A moment later, my jaw dropped as I saw the door open and a dress slip through the cracks.

I was going to kill Angela. Seriously. The girl obviously had lost any sense of taste she had in the three years she'd been planning this damn wedding. I took the hanger from the disembodied arm and stared at the dress on it, really wishing I was going to wake up from this nightmare at any second.

The dress was definitely a pale purple and it had baby blue accents. The top was a corset with spaghetti straps and boning to keep it up and push my boobs up more. The skirt looked impossibly short. It was two layers of baby blue lace over more of the purple colored material and looked like it wouldn't hardly cover my ass.

I stared at it for a moment before finally pulling it on. I wanted to cry when I saw it on me. The skirt, thankfully, was longer than I'd thought but sitting would be an accomplishment in this thing. I'd definitely need to get my legs waxed in any case, possibly my bikini area, too. I winced thinking of that.

"Here's the shoes," the woman's voice called as a pair of shoes dangled over the top. I stared at them in resignation, noting that at least they weren't fuck-me-pumps, something Angela was overly fond of. Instead, they were sateen ballet slippers with a strap across the top of my foot. I pulled them on and stepped out of the dressing room to see myself in the small alcove with mirrors all around me.

It was worse than I thought. I looked like some kind of slutty ballerina wannabe. My boobs looked like they were going to explode out of the top of my dress and the skirt looked as though a good wind would be all it would take to lift it off my body. The flats did nothing to help the dress.

"Lovely."

I raised an eyebrow at the woman helping me. She was obviously on crack or something. "Do you have the next size up? This looks like it's a little small…" I trailed off, self-consciously trying to squish my boobs back into the corset top.

"Oh, no, that's how it's supposed to look," she smiled. I gritted my teeth and nodded. "So are there any alterations I need to have done?"

"No, just the dying of the shoes," she beamed at me.

"Great. Just…let me change so I can pay and get going."

She nodded and I made my way back to the dressing room while she rang up the purchase. I shook my head as I stared at the dress on the hanger again. Angela was for sure going to be the most attractive one at the wedding. People would be staring at us rather than her, but mostly in horror. I sighed, remembering the beautiful silk sheath dresses she'd looked at first. I really wished the wedding at the Plaza in New York had worked out.

I quickly paid and made arrangements to pick up my dyed shoes in two weeks time before carrying the tulle and lace monstrosity out to my car. I shuddered slightly as I climbed into the front, seeing it swaying menacingly in the rearview mirror. My phone rang and I jumped, my heart leaping into my throat as I reached for it, hoping that it was Edward at the same time I was praying it wasn't.

"Edward?" I asked quickly, opening the phone and pressing it to my ear without checking the screen.

"Do you answer all your calls like that?" Jake asked with amusement.

I sighed. "No, I was just hoping it was him."

"Still haven't heard from him huh."

"Nope. What's up?"

"Not much. I'm on a break and thought I'd call to see if you'd heard from Edward yet."

"A break? Already? Shit, Jake, its only 10."

He laughed. "I know but we're a little slow today. Has he called?"

I huffed and pulled into the hotel parking lot. "No. Did you see him?"

"Obviously not, Bells."

I grinned. "Right. Have you heard from him even?"

"Not a peep."

We sat in silence for a bit while I tried to remember if I had Jessica's number or the desire to call her at all. If she knew he'd kissed me, I would not be on her list of favorite people or even people she tolerated.

"So I was thinking I'd come by the hotel and get your apartment key so I can let myself in since you'll be working late."

"Oh, that'd be great. Come by whenever."

"Awesome. You ok?"

I smiled and rested my head on the head rest. "I'm fine, Jake. You don't have to baby me."

"What if I want to? Sometimes a guy likes taking care of a girl."

I snorted. "Not you. You're the king of avoiding anything that might constitute a relationship."

"Ouch. Low blow, Swan."

I grinned. "So what time will you be by for the key?"

"Probably around 6, when I get off here."

"Great. See you then."

"Bye Bells."

I ended the call and checked again in vain. Still nothing from Edward. Douche.

I climbed down and headed inside, fuming to myself about his silence. He hadn't gone this long not talking to me since we'd met practically, definitely not since we'd started hanging out on an almost daily basis. I was a little worried about him, to be honest. Silence wasn't like him.

I sent off a quick text to Rose and Emmett to see if they'd heard from him before stuffing my phone into my pocket. Josie was at the desk this morning and she smiled at me as I came in. "Bailey called and she's like, throwing up sick."

I made a face. "Ok. I'll be on the desk then."

She gave me a sympathetic look as I passed her on my way to my office. It was a quiet afternoon and it passed quickly. Before I knew it, I was at the desk, checking in our guests and taking care of those already in house.

Bailey's illness went on for a few days, and since we were trying to save some money and wages were the easiest place, I was left picking up the slack. All the hours on the desk in the evenings left me plenty of time to obsess over Edward's silence that week.

Yes, week. He kissed me on Sunday and here it was, Thursday, and I hadn't heard a damn peep from the kid. I was getting fed up with the whole thing. Luckily, Jake was my anchor. He kept me from going just batshit crazy and going after Edward with a baseball bat or a well aimed kick with my pointy toed heels. I was vicious with these fuckers. Jake had kept me company every night this week. He was always waiting for me at my apartment after work, a small overnight bag in one hand and usually a six pack in the other. We'd stay up late, watching reruns of Mystery Science Theater 3000, cracking jokes and drinking beer to go with whatever food we made for our midnight dinner. The most interesting was probably the hard cranberry lemonade with the shrimp flavored Ramen.

"Hey Bella. Bailey's still sick, huh?"

I grinned at James, straightening up as he came into the lobby. "Yeah."

"Bummer." He leaned his forearms against the desk and peered at the desk. "You have nothing to eat, Bella Swan. Its dinner time."

I laughed. "It is and I don't but I'll be fine."

"Will you?"

I nodded, grinning. "I'm having a late dinner with my best friend, who, incidentally…" I craned my neck as I saw the Rabbit pull up in the porte-cochere "just arrived."

James turned, looking at the Rabbit with interest. I stole a glance at his face and laughed when his jaw dropped at the sight of Jake. He was wearing the jeans and t-shirt from that morning and a huge goofy grin.

"Hey Bells," he greeted me, leaning over and giving me a quick kiss on the lips. "How's work?"

"Good," I laughed. "Jake, this is Mr. Mason. James, this is my best friend Jake."

James stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Is your wife the one with the kick-ass brownies?"

James raised his eyebrows. "I take it Bella shared?" he asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

Jake laughed and nodded, dropping James' hand. "She can't keep anything from me." He winked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"I went over for some sympathy and companionship and he snarked my brownies," I explained.

"Why do you need sympathy?" asked James curiously while I dug my purse out of the little nook below the desk.

"My boyfriend and I broke up over the weekend," I said nonchalantly.

"They didn't just break up," Jake interjected. "She called him on Saturday night and his bitch answered the phone."

"His…what?"

"The whore he was banging. Almost literally at the time Bells called."

I gave Jake the stink eye as I handed him my key. "Enough, Jake, let it go. James doesn't need to hear the gory details of my life."

"Sounds like you need a good guy in your life," James commented easily.

"That's what I'm saying," Jake said excitedly. "I'm pushing for her to start going out with me."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Since when?"

"Since now." he grinned at me. "Oh, have you heard from Edward?"

I shook my head. "No. You?"

"Um…sort of. He's basically hiding out at Jessica's. I told him to call you or something or I was going to kick his ass."

I grunted and shook my head. "Punk."

"You know, you're remarkably tame at work. It's kinda boring."

James laughed. "What's she like outside of work?"

"Dude, Bells here is a spitfire. Swearing and drinking and all of it. She's a fucking pool shark, too."

I shot Jake a look but he didn't see it and kept going. "She just popped her tequila cherry but we'll work on building up a tolerance to that shit and one day, she'll be rolling with the big boys." He grinned at me affectionately as I gave him a murderous glare. He saw it and suddenly realized what he had said.

"Shit, sorry, Bells."

I sighed. "Just go, Jake."

"Right." He leaned over and gave me a quick kiss before shaking James' hand again and trotting out the door.

I didn't look up for a long moment and then I heard James laughing. "So you're a different person at work, huh?"

I nodded, my cheeks flaring. "Aren't we all to some degree?"

He grinned. "Swearing and drinking, huh? I didn't figure for that kind of girl."

I shrugged. "I try to downplay the wilder sides of my personality around guests. I don't want you to think poorly of me or anything."

"I don't think I'd ever think poorly of you, Bella."

I smiled, relieved. "Well, thanks, James. I think you're the one that it would bother me the most to upset."

He grinned and studied me for a moment. "So…pizza ok for dinner?"

I laughed and nodded. "Pizza would be great."

Normally, I wouldn't allow my employees to eat at the desk or with a guest, but I was starving and really just didn't give a shit at that point. We had two arrivals left and three hours until I got off, so I forwarded the phone to the cordless and joined him in the breakfast area with some sodas and napkins, keeping an eye on the desk.

"So you're single now."

I nodded, sipping my Sprite. "I am, as of like, 2 am Sunday morning."

"Sorry about that. You were together a while, right?"

"Yeah, all through college almost."

"Well, when you're ready to get back in the dating game, I might have someone for you."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Seriously?"

He nodded and took another bite of his pizza. "Yep. I think you and my brother would really hit it off. He's a few years older than you are, still single, great guy. He's got a great job, his own house and really bad luck with women."

I laughed and wiped my fingers. "Why isn't he married yet?"

"Like I said, bad luck with women. One was just after his money, another just wasn't right."

"And you think I am?"

He shrugged. "I've gotten to know you in the past few months, Bella. This new side your friend Jake exposed notwithstanding, I think you and Laurent would be a good match."

"Laurent, huh?"

He laughed. "Yeah, Mom's a little strange."

I thought while I chewed, studying James. He was watching Iron Chef on the lobby TV with interest and I grinned to myself. If Laurent was half as good looking as James was, it might be worth it. Plus, I'd be close enough to get Victoria's awesome baked goods on a regular basis.

"So, I have a question."

"Forty-two."

I laughed. "Ok then. Why, if Laurent is so great, is his brother finding him a date?"

James wiped his hands carefully and took another sip of his water. "Because he asked me to."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "He asked you to?"

"Yes. He stood up at Family Dinner last week and basically said he gave up and was content being single but if we wanted to see him settled like all of us, we would have to find him a wife."

"All of us?"

"He's the youngest of six."

"Damn."

James grinned and I blushed.

"Sorry."

He waved his hand dismissively. "So?"

I sighed and sat back, thinking. I watched as the judges sampled something that looked like deep fried eyeballs. I wouldn't be surprised if it was, actually.

"I just got out of a relationship but…I guess I'd go on a date with him. Just to see."

James beamed. "Great. I'll make the arrangements for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah, to come out to Salt Lake."

"Oh no, James, I'm not going there. If he wants to go on a date with me, great, but he's got to get his Mormon butt here. Safety and all that."

"Come on, Bella, it'll be fine. I'll fly you out first class; you can stay in my parents' guest house and have a chauffeur drive you around. It'll be fun."

I gave him a look and he grinned, shaking his head. "Fine. I'll talk to him this weekend."

I nodded and finished off my soda, standing up. "It's almost time for your nightly call, James."

He checked his watch and his face lit up. "It is. Thanks for eating with me."

"Thanks for paying," I laughed, gathering up our trash.

He nodded and gave me a one armed hug before hurrying upstairs. I watched him go and sighed a little. I wanted that. I wanted a guy who lit up at the idea of talking to me. Hell, right now, I'd settle for a guy who wanted to talk to me period.

I threw the trash away and settled in behind the desk again. It was completely dead tonight, just like the whole week had been. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked it, thinking. I was tired of waiting for Edward to call me, I decided. I was tired of being "that girl," the one who waited around for the guy to get his head out of his ass and contact her. I was done and I decided to tell him so.

I thumbed through the contacts and pulled up his, scowling at it. I quickly typed up and sent the text before I could think myself out of it.

**So I guess we're not friends anymore? **

I set the phone down on the counter and started on some of my closing duties. My night auditor, Beth, was usually early and I'd be only too happy to let her take over the second she walked in the door.

The rest of the night passed like the first part of it: slowly. I finally was done and headed home to my cozy apartment and the comfort of Jake, food, alcohol, and corny movies.

I walked in and grinned at the smell of mac and cheese wafting at me. Jake was in the kitchen dancing around to some punk rock version of "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," in full on head banger mode. I kicked my heels off, pulled the pins out of my hair and joined him in the kitchen, careful to stand far enough away that we wouldn't smack heads.

He grinned when he saw me and stopped banging, grabbing me and attempting to swing dance with me in the little kitchen, singing along with the song. I laughed and tried to keep up with him unsuccessfully.

The song ended and he dipped me, kissing me wetly on the cheek as he righted me.

"How was the rest of your evening? Am I in the shitter for what I said to that guy?" he looked anxious.

I shook my head. "You're fine. But! James, the guy, he totally wants to set me up with his brother. How bizarre is that?"

Jake's laughter followed me down the little hall to my room. I closed the door to a crack and started to change.

"Seriously? Are you sure he just didn't want you for himself?" he teased.

I stuck my head out the door and stuck my tongue out at him. "Yes. You should see the way he is over his wife. He's totally gone for her."

"That's cool."

"No, Jake dear," I grinned, coming out in my pajamas of yoga pants and t-shirt "that's awesome. That's what every girl wants."

"Hm."

I grinned and grabbed a bowl out of the cabinet and passed it to him. He dished up some of the mac and cheese and set it on the counter while I got another bowl. I pulled the parmesan cheese out of the refrigerator and gave my bowl a generous covering before offering it to Jake.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead. It's awesome."

He eyed me skeptically but took it and shook a little on his. I grinned and popped open two bottles of tonight's beer: Guinness. We were going to be so sick.

"So what's the movie tonight?" I asked, curling up on the couch, my back against Jake's arm.

"_Manos: Hands of Fate_," he replied, picking up the remote and hitting play.

We watched, snickering to each other through the whole thing. We ate all the mac and cheese and drank two beers each. After a while Jake stretched out on the couch and I wedged myself between his side and the back of the couch, my cheek resting on his chest and my arm around his waist as we watched. My eyebrows were growing steadily heavier as the food and alcohol sat heavily in my stomach.

"Did Edward contact you?" he asked suddenly.

I shook my head and propped my head up. "Nope."

"I told that fucker to contact you."

I sighed. "I'm done waiting around for him. If he wants to let a damn kiss ruin a relationship, fuck him. I sent him a text asking if we were still friends and I haven't heard a damn thing yet."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Wow."

I nodded. "He can just be Jessica's little man-bitch for all I care at this point."

"Come on Bells, you two were close."

"Were being the key word here, Jake." I sighed and sat up. "I can forgive a lot of shit when it comes to relationships, but ignoring me isn't one of them."

He was quiet, the pad of his thumb absentmindedly rubbing circles on the skin of my hip. "He'll call or something eventually, I know he will."

"Yeah, but I don't have to take it when he does."

"You're going to write him off, just like that?"

"He's written me off."

"He cares about you and he's confused."

"Why do you care so much?" I demanded, pulling away from him. The skin on skin contact was a little much for me right now. For all our late night conversations and hanging out, I'd started to fall a little for him. I couldn't want more with someone else who didn't want to give it. Getting over Mike had been easy in comparison to what falling for and having to get over my best friend would be. Really, getting over Mike had been a piece of cake. I just didn't let myself remember the good times and it didn't hurt so badly. And there honestly weren't that many good times so that was simple enough.

"Because you're both my friends and I hate when you're not talking," he snapped. "I hate being the fucking go between."

"What go betweening have you done, Jake?" I asked incredulously. "I just want the asshole to talk to me."

"I've been telling him to!" he exploded. "Every damn time I get a chance, I text him to call you but his stupid ass won't do it. He's afraid of you, Bella."

My jaw dropped. "Seriously?"

He sat back in frustration, running his fingers through his hair. "Yes. He's…shit, he'd kill me if he knew I was telling you this, but he's confused right now because there was a spark for him and he's terrified if he talks to you and finds out that you felt the spark that he'll have to choose between you and Jessica and he's terrified to talk to you and find out that there wasn't a spark because then he's the asshole who is marrying a girl he's not just gone over." He gave me a significant look when he used my description from earlier.

I sat back on the couch, stunned. "He felt a spark?"

"Yes."

"Fuck."

"Yeah." Jake was scowling at the TV screen now, rolling his empty bottle back and forth between his palms. "He's afraid that he's ruined everything with that one kiss and now there's no way of going back to what was because everything's different for him now. He's afraid of losing you."

"He won't lose me," I said softly.

"You just said you'd write him off."

"I'm a woman. It's my right to change my mind at the drop of a hat."

Jake grinned at that but didn't say anything for a while. We sat in silence, thinking our own thoughts. My phone buzzed from my purse across the room and I stood up, crossing the room to get it. Jake took the opportunity to clean up from dinner. My heart leapt into my throat as the topic of conversation was grinning up at me from my phone.

"It's Edward."

"Did he call or text?"

"Text."

"So what does it say?"

I took a deep breath and hit View.

**So…we're cool, right?**

I stared at it in disbelief.

***

Option A: Bella ignores the text.

Option B: Jake takes control of the situation.

True story: There was a Mormon guy who stayed at my hotel in Austin and we were friendly. He decided that I would be perfect for his younger brother and offered to fly me out and put me up at his parents' house for the weekend, just to meet his brother. I declined and just squirreled it away as another "WTF" stories I get from hotels. I told a guy I work with who's a non-practicing Mormon or whatever and when he heard the guy's last name he nearly choked on his Diet Coke. Apparently, their family is some pretty high muckity mucks in the church and have boatloads of money. I thought the dude was blowing smoke up my ass when he told me they had some money. Apparently not.

I was much more of an appealing potential wife than Bella is, though. I was the good little Christian girl who didn't drink or swear or whatever. I think Bella likely wouldn't have been all that appealing to the guy, but who knows. Maybe they'd want to try to tame her. ;-I

Also…I just noticed that in the ToS, they say that something they do not allow is this type of story: Interactive. They specifically name Choose Your Own Adventure. I'm not sure what to do with that information. We all post lemons in spite of the ratings not being high enough, a lot of us post things that don't exactly fit in with what they say…so…yeah. I'm not sure if I'm technically allowed to continue this story. There's a crackdown on the smut and while this doesn't have any, I'd hate for it to get deleted just because I didn't see beforehand that it was a disallowed story. Thoughts on that, friends?


	6. Chapter 6: Someone Else in Charge

Tali: Heyo! I think I write better under pressure. Fo reals. lol And, I always hate what I've got (or at least really don't like it) and then my friend and honorary beta ktdcee comes along and makes me feel better. I'm not dedicating this chapter to you, but the next one, cause its awesome. You know why. ;-I (I probably should write it first, huh…)

We had another tie…sort of…so I kind of went with a cross between both options. Enjoy!

***

I stared at the phone in my hand. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"What'd he say?" Jake came out of the kitchen and reached for the phone. I jerked my hand out of his reach, suddenly furious. I turned my back to him and punched in a reply.

**Are you fucking serious? That's all I get after a week of silence? You have to talk to me before we're even beginning to be ok.**

I threw the phone towards the couch but missed. It hit the wall behind the couch instead and broke into about four pieces before falling behind the couch.

"Smooth, Bells."

"Fuck you, Jacob Black," I growled before grabbing the end of the couch and jerking it away from the wall. "This is all your fault."

"My fault?" he asked incredulously while I pointlessly tried to put the pieces of my phone back together. I was relieved to see it was still somewhat useful, though I definitely needed a new one. Great, another shitty event in my already fucked up life. "How the fuck is this my fault?"

"You kissed me and started this whole damn snowball rolling."

"Hey, I apologized for that. If anyone, it's Mike's fault. He's the ass who started cheating on you."

"You're the one who insisted we play that fucking game."

"Edward's the one who got drunk and started trying to make out with you," he argued back.

I screamed my frustration. "Fine! It's all three of your faults. Men are put in my life to ruin it. Happy?" I threw the pieces of the phone at him, hitting him in the chest.

He rolled his eyes and picked up the pieces, studying them for a moment. "You need a new phone."

"No shit, Sherlock," I groused, collapsing on the couch and staring at the TV unseeing.

He plopped down beside me. "Want me to go with you tomorrow after work?"

"Why are you being so nice to me? I essentially just called you a life ruiner."

He shrugged. "I'm being a friend."

"I don't deserve you," I sighed, wiping at angry tears.

"Nope, you really don't."

I grinned in spite of myself. "So now what?"

"Let me handle this. I'll talk to Edward again. We usually have lunch together on Fridays. He won't dare punk out on me. I've got so much shit on him that'd be hazardous to his health."

I nodded and snuggled close to him. "Can I borrow your phone?"

"You're not going to throw it are you?"

"No, I have no plans to break another phone. I just need it for a second."

"You're making a call at 1 in the morning?"

I grinned. "I was going to text Edward's pale ginger ass to let him know I broke mine and that he has to email me."

"Pale ginger ass…I like it. His ass is pretty pale."

I made a face and pushed on his chest slightly. "Phone?"

"Your wish is my command, milady." He shifted to the side and dug his phone out of his pocket. I quickly pulled up Edward's name and typed out a hasty message.

**My wrath knows no bounds. 5 days of limbo have made me the she-hulk and as a result my phone is broken. I expect an email by 1 pm or your ass is mine, you pale ginger fuck. This is Bella, by the way.**

I showed it to Jake who laughed and shook his head. I hit send and handed him his phone back before standing up and stretching. "I believe it is time for this tired panda to go to bed."

"Tired panda?" he teased as I stood up. "If anything you're an albino bunny rabbit."

"Hey, fuck you. I can be vicious."

"When I hear vicious, I don't think panda _or_ Bella Swan."

"So, what, albino wharf rat?"

"No, you're too cute for that."

"What the fuck ever. I'm going to bed. You coming?"

"Of course."

I was off the next day so when Jake rolled out of the bed I just pulled the covers up and attempted to keep sleeping. I heard the shower kick on and the garbled horrible warbling that signaled Jake's attempt at singing. I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face at that and I crawled out of the bed. Leo was purring and rubbing against the doorjamb as I passed him. He meowed at me hungrily and I rolled my eyes, leading the way to the kitchen. He followed me, mewling loudly while I scooped up a cup of dry food and poured it into his bowl. He squatted and immediately began enjoying his breakfast. I started coffee and returned to the bathroom. Jake was still warbling so I opened the door a crack and stuck my head in.

"Hey, I really have to pee. Can I come in?"

"Sure, just don't flush."

"Spoilsport," I teased. I ducked in and quickly pulled my panties down, pulling my oversized t-shirt over my lap to hide anything and peed fast. Jake kept singing, drowning out the sound of the urine hitting the water.

"Jake, is it weird that I'm in here peeing with you in the shower?"

He pulled the shower curtain back a little and peeked out at me. "Probably. Does it bother you?"

"A little," I admitted.

He laughed and dropped the curtain while I stood up and readjusted my clothing. "I tell you what, Bells," he started, his voice definitely teasing. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"No thanks," I laughed, washing my hands and drying them on the hand towel. "Want pancakes or waffles for breakfast?"

"Either's good for me."

I opened the door to the bathroom and paused, chewing on my lower lip for a long moment. I tiptoed over and flushed the toilet, darting out of the bathroom as Jake yelped in surprise.

"Bella!" he shouted. I grinned and pulled the door shut behind me.

I flipped on the radio in the kitchen and took up the usual routine of dancing and singing along as I mixed up the waffle batter. I rummaged in the pantry and the fridge and pulled out chocolate chips and some frozen blueberries.

Jake came out of the bathroom and shot a dirty look at me before heading into my bedroom to get dressed. I laughed and turned the music down a bit.

"Jake, chocolate chip or blueberry?"

"Both."

I rolled my eyes and liberally sprinkled chocolate chips into the first waffle, followed by a small handful of blueberries. I shut it and pulled out the butter and syrup. Jake appeared then, wearing pants but no shirt.

"Ooo, sexy," I teased.

He grinned and struck a pose. "You know it."

I laughed and turned the music back up, singing along loudly. "Hold on loosely, but don't let go…"

I held the fork/microphone up to Jake. He grabbed my wrist and screwed up his face as he sang. "If you cling too tightly, you're gonna lose control…"

I grinned and pulled my hand out of his grasp and plopped the first waffle onto his plate, shooing him towards the table. "Eat up so you can be big and strong like all the other kids."

"Yes, Mom."

I grinned and hummed along with the song while I made my own waffle.

"You know," he mumbled around a mouthful "that song's totally about masturbation."

I froze in mid pour. "Are you insane? It is not. It's about not being an overprotective shit of a boyfriend."

"Come on, Bells," he grinned, washing down his bite with a swallow of coffee. "'Hold on loosely?' Totally about jacking off."

"Why is it that boys can make anything perverted?" I grumbled, settling across from him with my waffle.

"It's a gift, what can I say."

I grinned and shifted so I was sitting Indian style in my chair. "So what other songs are about masturbation, other than the normal ones?"

"Normal ones?"

"Yeah, you know, Turning Japanese, I Touch Myself…I can look up a list online if you want."

He grinned and sat back. "Beat It?"

"Oh come on," I laughed. "That's about getting away from gangs or some shit."

"Fine, but the words are there. I always thought of masturbation growing up whenever I heard that song."

"That's because you were a severely undersexed adolescent boy."

"Very true."

"Hey," I said suddenly, looking at him suspiciously "you're not like, getting friendly with yourself in my shower are you?"

"What if I am?" he demanded defensively.

My jaw dropped. "Jake, ew. I shower in there, too."

"So you don't masturbate in the shower?"

"I don't shoot shit all over the place when I finish."

"I assure you, I'm not shooting shit either."

I rolled my eyes and stood up to get more coffee. "So do you?"

He sighed. "No, I wait until I'm in my own apartment to do that. It'd be weird to jack off with you right around the corner. I have to do something, though. I sleep beside you every night and get no release from it. Least you could do is put out once in a while. Eventually you won't need me anymore and I'll be back to my womanizing ways so I don't push it."

"Thanks for that at least."

"See, I'm not a total scuz."

I grinned and poured more batter onto the waffle iron. "No, you're just a half-scuz."

"Hardy har. You're so witty."

"I know, right?"

He threw his balled up napkin at me. "Are we doing movie night still?"

I nodded and slid another waffle on his plate and turned to start his third. "As far as I know, yes. Rose and Emmett are in charge tonight. There's no telling what we'll end up with."

He made a face. "Hopefully something edible. What was that shit they brought last time?"

I laughed. "It's called sushi. Some people actually like it."

"Not me. I prefer my food cooked."

"Me too, but you have to admit it went with the Japanese film they brought."

"I also prefer my movies without subtitles."

I chuckled and handed him another waffle. "So you pick such stellar classics as _American Pie_ and serve burgers."

"Hey. Better than raw fish. Who doesn't love burgers?"

"Jessica? Remember the fact that she's been a vegetarian for a few months now?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "It'll never last. Girl loves her meat." I gave him a strange look and he laughed loudly, shaking his head. "Apparently boys aren't the only ones who can make things perverted."

I made a face at him. "I hang out with you too much." I checked my watch and stood up, gathering up our dishes. "You should get going. It's almost 8."

"Right." He drained his coffee mug and stood up, wiping his face as he headed back towards the bedroom again to grab a t-shirt. I started rinsing everything off and loading the dishwasher.

"So I'll see you this evening?"

I looked up and nodded. "Make sure Edward knows his ass is grass if he doesn't email me. He's invited tonight but if he maintains this stupid silence, he has to sit on the balcony and eat leftover waffle batter."

He grinned. "Will do." He leaned over and kissed my temple affectionately. "Have a good day, Bells."

"You too, Jake. Try not to get too worked up by the radio."

He grinned. "I'll do my best."

After Jake left, I puttered around the apartment, cleaning and straightening. Even though Rose and Em were bringing the movie and food, I still wanted to have some back up food prepared. I made sure I had sandwich stuff on hand and brownie supplies before crawling back into the warmth of my bed and dropping back off to sleep.

I woke up about two hours later and quickly showered and dressed, gathering the pieces of my phone into a plastic baggie and setting out. I felt practically naked without my phone and even 12 hours without it was driving me crazy. It didn't take long before I switched out my phone, grateful for the insurance Mom had insisted I buy. Klutzy me typically dropped phones. This was the first time I'd actually thrown one. The guys at the store did something magical and I had all the missed calls and texts from the night before popping up during the drive back to my apartment. I raised my eyebrows when I saw a missed call and subsequent voicemail from Edward.

I pulled into my parking space and frowned, figuring out how to hear it.

"Hey Bella, its Edward. As you probably realize from the caller id. Right. Um…anyway. I'm sorry. I guess you're not answering because you're pissed as hell and I don't blame you. I just…I don't want to fight. I hate fighting with anyone and I especially don't want to fight with you. Not that I think you're going to fight with me but…yeah."

I rolled my eyes and gathered my things as I headed back inside.

"I'm sorry about the kiss on Sunday. I was drinking and it was stupid of me, I know, but more than that, I'm sorry I haven't said anything to you all week. I just had to sort some shit out and I think I've done that and now, I just have to do it, you know?"

No, I didn't know.

"So…yeah." There was a long pause and I imagined him pacing back and forth in his old black pajama bottoms, running his hands through his hair agitatedly. "I guess…call me? When you get this? If I don't hear from you, I won't come over tomorrow. Jess has to work anyway." There was another long pause. "Please call me, Bella. I'm not sure how I'd handle being the cause of losing my best friend."

After another long pause, the calm voice told me when he'd called and asked if I wanted to save the message. I did and then listened to the other messages. My hideous shoes were ready already, mom was calling to remind me that Dad's birthday was in a couple days, and Rose was calling to let me know she and Emmett might be a little late. The text messages were more of the same: Rose, Mom, Jake asking if I'd gotten a new phone yet, even Edward asking if he could call right then. That must have been right after I broke the phone.

I settled on my bed, my knees pulled up to my chest and I sat for a moment, staring at my phone and Edward's name. I chewed on my thumbnail, debating with myself. He'd called, just like I told him to. I hadn't checked my email but I doubted there'd be any different information there than he'd blathered on my voicemail. I took a deep breath and hit call, scratching Leo behind the ears as he jumped up on the bed and curled up on Jake's pillow.

"Bella?" Edward's voice sounded hesitant, almost scared.

"No, it's someone else with my phone."

"Sorry."

I rolled my eyes and leaned forward, resting my chin on my knees. "So we probably need to talk some shit through."

"Yeah, probably. I mean, I'd love if there was a way we could avoid all that shit."

I chuckled softly and rubbed my forehead. "Are you with Jake?"

"Just left. I'm at the hospital actually."

I nodded and sighed softly. "Ok. So, here's my two cents. Ready?"

"I guess."

I took a deep breath. "Edward, you are one of my best friends. You, Jake, Rose and Emmett are my family here in Texas and I can't stand the thought of losing you over something like a kiss. I'm willing to just put it behind us and move forward. Not make it a big deal. I wouldn't have in the first place but you decided it was in your best interest to ignore me for five days. Which it wasn't."

"Yeah, I know."

"So, deal? We just move on with our lives and forget it ever happened?"

He was silent for a long moment. "Is that what you want?"

"That's what I want."

"Then ok."

I relaxed and nodded. "Great. So we'll see you this evening?"

"Yeah, sure."

I didn't miss the fact that he sounded a little off but I decided to ignore it. Served him right.

The theme that night was Italian. Rose and Em brought over the Godfather trilogy and we settled in for a marathon, complete with spaghetti with meatballs, linguini with clams, garlic bread, antipasti, Caesar salad, and tiramisu. There was definitely more food than the five of us could eat, but as we were going to be watching movies all night long, we didn't worry too much about it. Between the second and third movie, Edward moved out onto the balcony for a breath of fresh air.

The night was warm and gorgeous. We'd had the sliding glass doors open all evening, letting in the soft summer breeze, but apparently that wasn't enough for Edward. He was leaning against the railing, looking down at the little creek area below my balcony.

"Hey stranger," I teased, sidling up to him. He'd been noticeably quieter this evening, especially towards me.

"Hey." He didn't turn towards me and I studied his profile in the dim light from the kitchen window.

"You ok?"

He shrugged. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Well, I am."

I raised my eyebrows but didn't say anything. I leaned against the railing beside him, staring into the black. We stood in awkward silence for a while before I sighed.

"Would it make you feel better if I kissed everyone in that room? Then there wouldn't be the cloud of 'shit, I kissed my best friend' hanging over just us."

He finally cracked a smile. "I'm not sure that would work, actually, though it'd be really funny."

"Well, then tell me what I can do to make this not so weird between us, Edward," I pleaded. "You're ignoring me again, but this time it's worse because I can actually fucking see you."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry. I just feel awkward now. I don't think there's anything you can do to fix it, I just have to work through it on my own."

I scowled at the black now. I could hear the third Godfather movie click on behind us and the lights flick off. We were now standing in almost complete darkness, his profile barely visible in the dim light you never really got away from in the city.

"Jake told me you felt a spark."

He stiffened slightly. "He did."

"Yes."

"Fuck."

I sighed and turned so I was facing him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"It might make you feel better."

"Talking about how I feel and hearing that you don't feel the same is not going to make me feel better, I can guaran-damn-tee you that."

"I don't know that I don't feel the same." I said it softly and it frankly surprised even me. "But I don't know that I do, either. First there was Mike, then you, now Jake…I'm confused myself."

"Jake?"

I nodded miserably. "Do you think it's possible to love more than one person at once?"

His jaw flexed. "Yeah, I do. Fucked up isn't it?"

I grinned and nodded. "No shit."

I turned back to face the black, thinking over what we'd just said. Did I love him? Like, really love him? Weird. I always hoped to fall in love with my best friend but this seemed almost…bizarre. Plus, there was Jake and Jessica to consider.

"I don't know what to do, Bella," he said suddenly. "I just…I don't think kissing you was a mistake, not even a little bit. I don't regret it and now I don't know what to do. I feel like I have to choose between you and Jess and…shit, I really love her, too. She's been with me for years now and we just…we fit, you know? She knows my shit, I know hers, and we work really well together. I feel sometimes like she's my other half but then there's you and I know you said we should just forget about the kiss but I don't want to. I want to remember it and maybe…"

I grunted in annoyance and gripped Edward's shoulder. He looked at me, surprised as I turned him towards me. I went with instinct, not thinking, just doing, and that instinct told me to kiss him now. I cupped his face in my hands and pulled it down to mine, finding his mouth with mine in the dark.

***

A) Edward breaks away and leaves Bella to fix a possible mess.

B) Bella comes to a verdict and changes are made


	7. Chapter 7:The Jury Has Reached a Verdict

Tali: So, this chapter is dedicated to the story's aunt/godmother/beta ktdcee. She helps me polish up some of the more fun aspects of the story (the last part was a collaboration I believe. I actually can't remember who came up with the idea...) and gave me some ideas for stuff. Plus, she totally takes my side in arguments I have with my husband. Its a win/win for me. Thanks chickadee!

***

Kissing Edward was like…puppies and rainbows and ice cream, all rolled up into one. Fantastic and wonderful and the best thing in a while. He was caught off guard but kissed me back, our moving together a little awkwardly. It was wonderful and sweet and kind of perfect. But it was also wrong.

I sighed and pulled back from him, resting my forehead against his chin. "I'm sorry."

His breathing was ragged and he wrapped his hands around my wrists and rubbed them up and down my forearms lightly. "I am, too."

"We can't do this, Edward. You're engaged."

He nodded, his jaw tight. "I am."

I took a shuddering breath and stepped back from him, dropping my hands from his face. His hands left my arms and he studied me in the dim light from inside.

"So now what?"

He chuckled softly, running one hand through his hair. "We have to figure out what the fuck we're doing."

"We're friends with a crazy attraction," I said bluntly. "But nothing can happen because you're engaged to a girl you love. A girl who's _not_ me."

He nodded and leaned against the railing again, staring out into the darkness. "So ok. We're friends. We just…focus on that."

I nodded. "Maybe more time together will help so we can get on each other's nerves more."

He laughed and nodded. "Maybe so."

I slipped between him and the railing and hugged him tight, pulling him close to me and breathing in his scent. He hugged me back, his arms pulling me into his chest and his face pressing into my hair. We stood for a moment before I pulled away from him. I smiled up at him and turned back towards the darkness.

"So the plan is to just be friends. No more kissing, no more 'more than friends' hugs, none of that. We can do it, right?"

"Of course." He turned to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders affectionately. "Wanna go to lunch sometime?"

"Sure. Just call me."

"And Bella…maybe you should give Jake a try. It could be really great."

I nodded absentmindedly. It could be really great with Jake. It was definitely worth a shot. I just worried about screwing up that relationship to the point where we couldn't repair it.

He kissed my temple and led the way back into the dark apartment. He settled on the couch and I curled up between him and Jake, sitting on Edward's lap with my feet in Jake's. Jake looked at me, one eyebrow raised and I gave him a smile and a small nod. He nodded back and started to absentmindedly rub my feet.

The movie ended late, around 3 am. I pushed myself up off of the boys and headed into the kitchen to refresh our drinks.

"Ok, so here's what I'm thinking we're doing tomorrow," Emmett began, clapping his hands together with an evil grin on his face. "Bachelor party."

Edward groaned. "Seriously? Come on, you know Jessica told me not to go to a strip club and they charge way too much at the bars. Let's just drink at one of our apartments or something instead. Save our money for useful things."

"What are you, forty? No no my friend. What kind of best man would I be if I didn't give you the most kick ass bachelor party ever? A shitty one, that's what kind."

"Hey," protested Jake. "I'm the best man."

"Fuck off, I'm bigger. I'll just move you out of the way."

"Don't I get any say in this?" demanded Edward with annoyance.

"No."

I hid my grin behind my bottle of beer as I settled on the couch beside Rose. She snuggled up to me, a glass of wine in her hand. She yawned sleepily before taking a sip.

"I want to go to a strip club," Emmett decided. "And just to show you how open minded and advanced and all that shit I am, Bella and Rose, would you come with us?"

I raised my eyebrows. "To a strip club?"

"Yes."

I looked at Rose and she shrugged. "Sure, why not. I've seen it all before."

"Yours is much better, babe," Emmett beamed at Rose and she winked back at him.

"You better not forget that."

"Don't you worry about him getting ideas or something?"

"Why? He goes to see them, gets all worked up and comes home to me. It saves me a lot of time, let me tell you."

I grimaced while Jake and Edward laughed. "Well, ok. I'll go. But no lap dances for me."

"Not even a little one?" teased Jake.

"Well, definitely not a little one. If I had to have a lap dance, I want it to be a girl with big fake plastic tittys."

"I love the way it sounds when you say tittys."

I winked at Jake.

"Ok, so we're going to a strip club. Edward I'll drag your pale Irish ass there if I have to. Meet at the guys' place at 7?"

"Are we eating first?" I asked as Rose pushed herself up.

"No, they have food at the strip club."

"Food you want to eat?"

"Well, probably not. We can go get food after."

"Right." I stood up and walked everyone out, hugging and waving goodbye. Jake hung back and looked at me expectantly.

"You want me to stay?" he asked in a low voice as he grasped my hand.

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Thanks though."

"Its gonna be weird sleeping without you."

I grinned. "I know."

He leaned down and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Call if you need me, ok?"

"Yes, Dad."

He grinned and hugged me tightly. "Later."

"Bye."

I watched him walk away for a moment. "Jake, wait."

He turned, his eyebrows raised. "Yeah Bells?"

"Come back a second. I want to try something."

He came towards me curiously. I stood up on my tiptoes, lightly licking my lips with nervous anticipation before I grasped his face and kissed him.

It was different from Edward. It was like trying to compare two things you loved to each other. Jake was warm and soft and immediately he wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me up off the floor. His tongue tasted like the tiramisu we'd had for dessert and I couldn't help sucking on it lightly. He groaned softly and pulled me closer to him.

After a moment, I sighed softly and pulled back, smiling up at him. He was grinning like a crazy person. "Can I ask what that was for?"

"Just…checking something."

"And?"

"And it didn't help make things any more clear. I'm still confused."

He nodded and set me down, tucking my hair behind my ear. "Well, if you want me to help you figure things out, you just let me know."

I laughed softly and nodded, hugging him tightly before shooing him out the door.

I watched until he was safely in his car and gone before shutting the door and heading to my own bed.

A few hours later, I actually got called in to work the desk, in spite of it being my day off. I wasn't real thrilled with that fact, but I was done by 3 pm so I got home with plenty of time to sleep before meeting the others. I got up about an hour ahead of time and quickly showered and dressed. Unsure of what to wear to a strip club where all the dancers were female, I opted for jeans and a flirty top and a small sweater over it. Overall, very safe and slightly grandma looking. I was ok with that.

I slipped on a pair of heels and pulled my hair back into a ponytail, grabbing my new phone and slipping it into my purse as I headed out the door.

Rose and Emmett were already at the guys' apartment when I pulled up. I could hear the shower going and since Jake was in the kitchen making grilled cheese, I came to the logical conclusion it was Edward. I slid into a chair at the bar and slapped the counter top.

"Vodka martini, shaken not stirred. And be quick about it."

Jake grinned at me and slid a plate to me with a grilled cheese sandwich on it. "Sorry, fresh out of vodka. Is this ok?"

I made a big show of sighing. "I suppose." I picked it up and took a bite. "Yum."

He grinned and slid the other two onto his plate and came around, leaning against the back of the couch.

"I swear, he's like a woman sometimes," Rose was muttering as she came down the stairs.

I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"He couldn't decide what to wear so I had to go pick something for him."

I snorted, nearly choking on the melty cheesy goodness. "Let me guess: ass-less leather chaps and a skin tight vest?"

"Fuck Bella, he's not gay. That's the outfit I'll put him in for the male strippers."

"Well, as long as you've got a plan."

She winked and grabbed my sandwich and took a bite. The shower kicked off and Edward appeared in the little balcony at the head of the stairs and looked down, wearing just a towel wrapped loosely around his hips. "Everyone's here already?"

We all looked up and wolf whistled at him. He blushed and hurried to his bedroom. We went back to our previous activities, Emmett playing video games, Jake inhaling food, Rose complaining about the guys' lack of fashion sense.

"I'll have you know a woman picked out this shirt for me," Jake said indignantly, brushing crumbs off his t-shirt. It had the words "I hope you like animals cause I'm a BEAST" written across his chest.

I rolled my eyes and wiped my fingers with a napkin. "Yeah, your mom."

He grinned. "My mom loves me."

"Only because she has to."

"Shut up. I'm adorable."

"Your mommy tell you that?" shouted Emmett.

Jake scowled. "Yes."

"Uh huh. Doesn't count if you came out of her."

"I come out of a lot of girls."

"And on that note let's change the topic," I laughed loudly.

"God, thanks."

We turned as Edward was coming down the stairs. His hair was still dark from his shower and he was buttoning up a shirt as he walked. It was blue and white striped and he had on a pair of dark jeans.

"You look nice," I smiled at him.

He grinned back. "Thanks. So do you."

I blushed slightly and nodded. "Thanks."

"Let's go before we have to hear more about Jake's sex life."

"Hey, it's awesome. You fuckers wish you had a sex life like me."

"Yes, I would love to hook up with random girls every night of the week," I muttered sarcastically as we headed outside to wait for the cab Rose had called before my arrival.

There was a momentary lull while the guys thought about that.

"Bella, if you start taking random girls home with you, can I watch? I won't touch or anything, I just want to watch. Shit, set up a video camera and I'll watch it later."

I punched Jake on the arm. "Perv."

"We've already had that discussion. You're also perverted, Swan."

"Only because of your corrupting presence."

"I have to admit," Edward grinned, coming up and wrapping an arm around my shoulders "I would not be opposed to watching Bella with another girl."

"Hell, _I'd_ watch Bella with another girl," laughed Rose as the cab pulled up. I shot them all dirty looks as we climbed into the cab and Emmett gave the driver the address.

"I'm not terribly interested in other girls, thanks."

"Prude."

"Not even. I can appreciate the female body, I just don't do it in the same way as a man does. I have no desire to kiss or fondle a woman, other than an affectionate peck. Let's let it drop or I'm calling Jessica and spoiling the fun."

"You're no fun."

"Exactly."

Jake grinned and settled back against the seat, his arm stretched behind me. Before another topic of conversation could really be started, the song Beat It started playing and Jake and I burst out laughing. We couldn't compose ourselves enough to explain before we got to the strip club so everyone, including the driver, just looked at us like we were insane.

We piled out of the cab, Jake and I holding on to each other as the next song was, ironically, Blister in the Sun.

"Dear lord you two need help," muttered Rose as Emmett paid the driver and we headed inside.

Emmett led the way through the crowded smoky room towards the front. I raised my eyebrows at the fact that we had a reserved table but didn't say anything. We slid in, Edward taking the seat of honor closest to the raised stage. There were three poles around the stage and three scantily clad women undulating against them, all in various states of dress. One girl was down to her g-string and pasties that matched her platform stripper shoes. Another had a tiny skirt that I might consider a napkin and a barely there bikini-like top while the third was wearing a skirt and plaid shirt tied in a knot, exposing a lot of taut tanned belly and big obnoxious breasts. All three had pierced belly buttons and lots of makeup.

"So, is it a prerequisite for exotic dancers to have pierced navels?" I asked, leaning over to shout in Emmett's ear.

He grinned. "No, but it definitely helps."

I laughed and sat back, shrugging out of my sweater and draping it on the back of my chair with my purse. The waitress, who looked like she likely danced as well, took our order and disappeared into the haze. Edward shifted uncomfortably beside me and I shot him a friendly grin.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad," I teased, leaning over and resting my hand lightly on his leg. "You're a doctor for god's sake. You see half naked women all the time."

"Yeah, but typically they're paying me and/or ill."

"So…this time it's the other way around, right?"

He laughed and shook his head. He still didn't look too comfortable, so I scooted my chair closer to his and rested my head on his shoulder.

"What's Jessica up to tonight?" I shouted.

"Work, as usual," he shouted back. "I wish she'd quit that damn job. She works practically every night."

"Well, waitressing is a job where people come and go pretty frequently. Her boss is lucky to have her."

He grunted but didn't say anything. The waitress delivered our drinks and he took a long pull of his beer. We sat and watched the girls dancing for a while, laughing and talking as much as we could. Jake and Emmett and even Rose were really enjoying themselves, getting up occasionally to put money in the girls' thongs. After the three had finished, they cleared off to raucous applause and the music changed to Dirrty by Christina Aguilera. I grimaced and shook my head, sitting back in my seat again.

We watched as a bottle blond with enormous breasts came out onto the stage. She was wearing what looked to be some kind of slutty bride costume, a short veil stuck into her stiff blond hair and a bouquet of flowers grasped in one hand. She had a tiny white pleather skirt and top on with the prerequisite platforms and a blue garter high on her thigh. She was also wearing white thigh-highs and a huge fake diamond ring. She started swinging her hips seductively, tossing the bouquet over her shoulder. It landed in the lap of a fat man to our left. I watched in amazement as he pressed his face into it and threw a twenty up onto the stage. She beamed at him and picked it up, tucking it into her ample cleavage.

She started to slowly unbutton her top, turning her back to us when she finally pulled it off, winking at the fat man over her shoulder before twirling the shirt and tossing it towards the back of the stage.

"There's something incredibly familiar about her."

I jumped, surprised to hear Rose shouting in my ear. I turned in my seat. "I was thinking that too. The hair maybe?"

She nodded. "It reminds me of…" her eyes widened. "Oh shit. We've got to get out of here. Now."

"What? It reminds you of what?"

I turned back to look up at the woman, studying her more closely now. She'd lost the skirt and was wearing the pasties, stockings, and g-string. The garter was twirling around her finger and she was winking and grinning at all the guys in the room. Obviously, we were ignored as our lack of penis clearly made us unwanted. I studied her profile, trying to place her. Suddenly it clicked.

I jumped up. "We have to go. Now."

"What?" Edward looked up surprised. "What's wrong?"

"I'm feeling sick."

"Me too. Let's go. Immediately."

"Babe, we just got here," Emmett whined.

"I don't fucking care. Let's go now."

Jake was completely oblivious as Rose and I pulled on Edward and Emmett's arms, trying to get them out of their seats and moving towards the exit.

"Can't I at least finish my damn beer?" demanded Emmett. "That fucker was expensive."

"You know that thing I hate and never do? I'll do it tonight if you'll get your ass out the door now."

I raised an eyebrow at that and looked at Edward. "I sure as hell won't, but I'll make you brownies."

"I don't understand why, though."

"I'm sick." I was sorely tempted to stick my finger down my throat to prove the point.

He pressed his palm against my forehead, concern taking over. "You don't feel feverish."

"Let's just go, ok?"

"Ok, fine. Let me grab Jake."

"I'll get Jake, you get out."

He frowned at me. "I thought you were the sick one."

"GO!" I shouted, about to lose my temper. I planted my palms against his chest and started to push him backwards, trying to turn him a bit at the same time so he wasn't facing the stage anymore. His eyes widened and he slowly started to back up. Just then, the blue garter smacked him in the face.

He reached up and grabbed the garter before it fell far, his eyes locking with the stripper's. "Fuck," I muttered, my shoulders slumping in defeat.

He stared at her in shock and horror and surprise for a long moment and she stared right back. Her hands suddenly came up and cupped her breasts to boos from the crowd.

"Jessica?!"

Option A: Edward grabs Jessica and they talk now.

Option B: Edward tells Jessica they'll talk later.


	8. Chapter 8: Sooner Rather than Later

Tali: Thanks for voting everybody! I'm glad you're all getting into this story as much as I am. I typically have absolutely NO idea how a chapter is going to turn out when I start it and this one was no exception. I've got a vague idea for what happens further on down the line but how we're getting there will be interesting. Mostly up to you. So…bear with me if things get weird.

Voting ends on Monday…

***

Edward stared at Jessica, stunned, his mouth hanging open. The music was still blaring in the background and the men who were being deprived of a show were starting to get antsy, shouting at Edward to let "Chastity" do her job and keep dancing. Jake had finally noticed what was going on and was staring at Jessica, the look of shock on his face mirroring Edward's. He looked back and forth between me, Edward and Jessica, his mouth in a small O of surprise.

"What the FUCK!?" Edward shouted. "What are you doing here?"

"I…I…" she looked around, wild eyed and panicky. "Can we talk about this later?"

"No we fucking can't," he growled. He reached forward and grabbed her arm, dragging her down off the stage and outside. I stumbled after him, grabbing Jake's hand and dragging him with me.

"Edward, calm down," I shouted after him.

There were more boos and some napkins thrown at us. A big intimidating bouncer stepped forward, putting a hand to Edward's chest. "Hands off."

"She's my fucking fiancée," Edward spat angrily.

The bouncer actually looked surprised. He looked at Jessica who had the decency to look slightly embarrassed. He stepped back and Edward finished hauling her outside. Emmett and Rose were standing there, arguing over the abandoned beer. They both turned in shock as the four of us stumbled out of the club. Jake grabbed my arm to keep me from stumbling and falling while Edward actually let go and let Jessica hit the ground. I shot Edward a dirty look as I stepped forward and helped Jessica up. I offered her my sweater but she batted it away angrily.

"What the fuck are you doing here Edward? You promised me you'd never go to a strip club."

"You whore!" he shouted back, making the rest of us jump, startled. "You fucking _work_ here after you told me you worked at a bar. Who the hell are you to judge me?"

She slapped him, hard enough to leave an angry red mark. "I'm your goddamn fiancée!"

I shifted uncomfortably and looked up at Jake. "We should go," I whispered.

He nodded and caught Emmett's eye, tilting his head to the side to intimate our intentions. Emmett nodded and touched Rose's elbow. She was staring at Jessica and Edward who were still screaming at each other. It was like a horrible car wreck: you knew you shouldn't look, but you couldn't _not_ look.

We four managed to creep away unnoticed by the unhappy couple. I was a little impressed with Jessica's ability to continue screaming obscenities while standing in a parking lot wearing nothing but a white g-string and her stripper heels. Plus, she didn't seem to be repeating herself too terribly much.

We walked a couple of bars down to flag down a taxi. I shivered slightly and Jake wrapped his arms around me, letting me leech his heat.

"So…what the fuck was that?" demanded Emmett after a moment.

I groaned and rested my head against Jake's chest. "Apparently Jessica's a stripper. And Edward didn't know."

"We all know I'm open-minded as fuck, right?" Emmett began.

"Babe, if you were any more open-minded your brain would fall out," laughed Rose affectionately.

"Right. But seriously? I don't blame him. I have no issues with you stripping if you want to, Babe, but you better fucking tell me."

"I would."

We glanced back and they were still screaming at each other. We couldn't hear what they were saying anymore but it was clearly not going well. Edward had at least taken off his button up and draped it around her shoulders but she was still screaming at him. We all watched for a second and I sighed.

"I wish we could help somehow," I muttered, my eyes locked on Edward's form. He had one hand in his hair, the other gesturing wildly.

"I think the best thing we can do right now is to give him his space," Rose said quietly. "He's probably going to need alcohol or something major like that tomorrow."

"Fuck tomorrow, he'll need it tonight," sighed Emmett, looking back over towards them.

"Oh, hey, something's happening."

We all looked over again at Jake's proclamation. Jessica was storming inside and Edward was staring resolutely in the opposite direction. We all waited for him to look around for us and walk our way. When he did look around, he locked eyes with Jake. They looked at each other for a long moment before Edward shook his head and turned, striding off the opposite direction.

"What the fuck?" demanded Emmett, taking a step in his direction.

Jake put out his hand and grabbed Emmett's arm. "Just…give him his space, like Rose said. He'll be around but he's got to figure some shit out."

"You can tell all that from a look? What are you, chicks?" Rose asked incredulously.

Jake grinned. "No, but we've been friends for something like ten years. You learn a lot about nonverbal signals from another person in that time."

We all stared at him in surprise. He rolled his eyes and dug his cell phone out of his pocket.

"I'm calling a cab," he grumbled.

Half an hour later we were at the guys' apartment, saying our goodbyes in the parking lot. Jake grabbed my hand as Rose and Em crossed to their car.

"You ok to be alone again tonight?"

I laughed. "I'm not the one who just found out her fiancée is a stripper. I think I'm good but thanks."

He nodded and grinned. "You wanna try kissing me again?"

I laughed again, shoving him lightly. "I'm good, thanks."

"Just checking." He kissed me lightly then helped me into my car. He stepped back and raised a hand in farewell as I drove off.

It was still pretty early in the evening, just after 8 pm, but I was exhausted from a long day after a short night's sleep. I contemplated stopping at Sid's for a burger but decided I was too wiped out and just went home.

It had started to rain some by the time I got there and I sloshed through the puddles that formed at the mere hint of rain on my way to the door. I let myself in and scratched Leo behind the ears as I pulled up my email. Angela would likely be announcing when we needed to be in Massachusetts soon and I really needed to know so I could ask off and get my tickets and hotel reservations taken care of.

**Hey Bitches!**

**Sorry this is such short notice, you know me, though, always doing things last minute. Haha.**

**Anyway, since the wedding is on the 14****th****, you should all plan on being there no later than the 12****th****. That's a Thursday. I'd love to have you there before that, of course, and we'll be there the whole week before just relaxing and partying. We're going to be at Brewster by the Sea. They've got a spa on site, so that'll be great. We can get our beauty treatments done there. **

**We'll also do the bachelorette party and a small shower for those of you who haven't been able to come to one so far.**

**Only one more month! I'm sooo excited! See you soon!!**

**Ang**

I sighed and pulled up the website for the inn. The cheapest rooms were $135 a night and $235 on the weekends. Shit. Plus plane tickets weren't going to be cheap. Of course Angela had to have a fucking destination wedding.

I scowled at the screen and closed the laptop. I'd deal with it later. I had just paid my bills and wasn't exactly flush with money. I'd have to take money out of savings to pay for this trip. Plus there was the whole wedding gift, bachelorette party, and shower aspect of it. When I got married, I was going to motherfucking Paris or something, just to get Angela to pay half of what I'd so far paid out for her wedding.

I stripped down to my panties and pulled on a camisole, opening the windows in the apartment a crack to let in the warm summer breeze. I loved the way it smelled when it rained and the sound of it, while making me have to pee more often than normal, was soothing. I quickly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of oceans and swimming and showers.

I rolled over at one point and peered at the clock in the darkness. It was nearly 1 am. I frowned, wondering what had woken me up when the sound came again. Someone was pounding on my door.

I stumbled out of bed, nearly tripping on the blankets tangled around my legs in the process. I stumbled through the dark apartment, nearly tripping over Leo as I made my way to the door. I pressed my eye to the peephole as the pounding came again.

"Bella, it's me, open up."

I stared in shock at Edward, soaked to the bone. His white t-shirt was sticking to him and his hair was dark and plastered to his head. I pulled open the door and stood back, letting him into the apartment. He stood on the small tile entryway, dripping, while I shut and locked the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I just…I can't go back to my place, not tonight."

"Ok."

"I'll sleep on the couch, ok? And I'll be gone in the morning. I won't bother you at all. I just need to sleep and think and I can't do that there."

He was rambling so I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him into a hug. He stopped talking and wrapped his arms around me tightly, lifting me and pressing his face into my neck. I smoothed his hair and kissed his head comfortingly.

"You can stay here as long as you need, Edward," I said gently.

He nodded and set me down. I looked up at him, studying his face. "Can I take a shower?" he asked finally.

I nodded. "Yeah. I'll come in and get your clothes and wash them so you can have them to wear tomorrow. I've got a couple of old t-shirts you'll be able to fit into and Jake left some boxers last time he slept over that are clean."

He nodded again and I smiled hesitantly. "Can I get you something to eat? Or drink?"

"I think just a shower will help."

"Ok. You know where it is."

He nodded and moved past me towards the bathroom. The door closed with a quiet click behind him and a moment later I heard the shower kick on. I waited a few minutes before opening the door a crack and grabbing his clothes off the floor. I stuffed them all into the washer and turned it on before starting some water to boil. Hot chocolate seemed called for at the moment.

I wandered into my bedroom and pulled out the clean clothes Jake had left behind, setting them on the bed and then pulling on a dry shirt for myself. The rain on his shirt and body had soaked through my camisole and it was practically translucent. I shivered slightly as I pulled on a dry one, my skin clammy from the damp shirt.

It didn't take long for the water to be ready. I debated waiting on Edward but I had no idea how long he'd be in the shower. I tapped on the bathroom door.

"Edward?"

There was no response. Shit, what if he'd killed himself or something in my shower?

"Edward, are you ok?"

Still no response. I chewed on my lower lip a second before pushing the door open and sticking my head in.

"Edward, say something or I'm pulling the curtain back to make sure you're alive."

"I'm fine." His voice clearly said he wasn't. I'd never known a guy who cried before and I couldn't imagine that Edward was actually crying now, but there was definitely something wrong. I hesitated before coming into the bathroom and closing the door behind me, settling on the bathmat.

"Do you want to talk?"

"No." I could tell from his voice that he was sitting in the tub so I pulled the curtain back and looked at him. He was leaning back against the wall, the shower spray hitting him in the chest. It was hot enough that it was turning his skin red. He was staring at the wall but I knew he didn't see it.

"Talk anyway."

He sighed and rolled his head, making eye contact with me. "I don't want to bug you."

I snorted. "Bullshit. If you didn't want to bug me, why the fuck did you show up at my door at 1 in the morning? You would have gone to a hotel or some shit."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I just…it's over. Me and Jessica."

"I figured."

He nodded and went back to staring at nothing. "I don't get how I missed it, you know? I mean, it's all pretty obvious looking back. The fact that she came home with like, $200 in singles every night. No waitress is that fucking good. Then there was the goddamn glitter everywhere."

I smiled. "Plus her adoration of low cut tops and thongs."

He smiled slightly. "I kind of dug that, actually."

"You knew her boobs were fake, right?"

"Of course I did," he said, slightly insulted. "Damn, Bella, I'm a doctor. Of course I knew."

I snickered and shifted slightly, leaning against the wall. "And you like that?"

He was silent for a minute and I grinned. "Ok, fine, I did. I like big boobs. Sue me, I'm male."

I laughed and reached over, taking his hand that rested on the edge of the tub. "It's ok. I like a man with nice abs. Turns me on."

He squeezed my hand and smiled at me. We sat for a moment, just holding hands. I finally yawned.

"Ok. I've got some water boiling for hot chocolate. I'm going to go make that while you finish up in here. I put the t-shirt and boxers on the bed in my room, you just go get dressed and come into the kitchen ok?"

He nodded. I slapped his hand and stood up, averting my eyes carefully, and exited the bathroom. A minute later, I heard the water shut off. I quickly mixed up two mugs of hot chocolate and set them on the counter while I switched over the laundry. Edward was in the kitchen when I turned around, sipping his mug and leaning against the counter.

"You were asleep."

I nodded. "Most people are at 1 am."

"I'm sorry."

I shrugged and grabbed my mug, taking a sip. "If you need me, I'm not."

He nodded. We finished our hot chocolate in silence. I took the mugs and rinsed them out, setting them in the dishwasher and wrapping an arm around his waist. "Come to bed, Edward. You don't have to sleep on the couch."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." I smiled at him reassuringly. We flipped off the lights as we walked, Leo twisting around our feet as we walked. I pushed Edward into the bed and pulled the blankets up around him, tucking him in. He laughed softly as I walked around the bed and crawled in on my side.

"Shut up, it always made me feel better as a kid."

He snickered and rolled over, pulling me close to him. "Thanks, I do feel better. You're a good friend, Bells."

"I try." I closed my eyes and rested my head against his neck. His hand started to stroke my hair and I felt his lips on the crown of my head.

"Are you working tomorrow?"

I shook my head. "No. Since I ended up working today I'm off tomorrow. You?"

"I'm taking a couple of days off. I already called in."

"Where did you go from the club?"

"Here."

I shifted up and looked at him in the dim light from the parking lot. "You walked all the way here from the club?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I needed to think."

"Fuck, Edward, that's like, ten miles or something."

"Yeah, something like that."

I sighed. "We were worried."

"It wasn't keeping you up late."

"Shut up, I got like, three hours of sleep last night. I worried the whole way home."

He chuckled and pulled me back down, pulling me to his face and kissing me lightly. His hands slid down my arms to my hips and then to my thighs as he deepened the kiss.

"Edward," I said softly, pulling away "I'm not that good of a friend. You can sleep here as long as you need to but there's no sex here."

"Right. Sorry. I got carried away. I swear, it won't happen again."

I studied him for a moment and then nodded, kissing his forehead again before laying back down, my back to his chest. His arm draped over me, resting safely on my stomach.

The rain was still falling outside and the sound was soothing, pushing me towards sleep again. I could hear from Edward's slowing breathing that he was falling asleep too. I was dying of curiosity to know what had been said and what he was going to do in the morning and the future now that Jessica was out of it. The house they'd closed on was great, but it probably would now hold horrible memories for him. Personally, I wouldn't want to live in a place where I was going to be living with Mike.

Mike. Shit. I'd completely forgotten he was going to be at Angela's wedding. Fuck. Even worse, he was the fucking best man. I'd have to spend lots of time with him. Asshole. His whore of a new girlfriend was probably going to be there, too.

I propped myself up and flipped my pillow, punching it slightly to help appease my frustration some before laying back down and closing my eyes. I breathed in the scent of the rain deeply and soon dropped off to sleep. This time my dreams were more of the horror wedding nightmare variety. Fantastic. Just what I needed right now.

Option A: Edward is still there in the morning.

Option B: Edward is gone but left a note.


	9. Chapter 9: A Friend Who is Always There

Tali: Hey all! I love that you decide the outcome early. Means I can get a chapter written quickly and sometimes post it a bit early. Keep it up! ;-I

As always, voting ends Monday night. Enjoy!

***

My phone rang far too early. I whimpered as I fumbled around in the pre-dawn light, my hand blindly closing around it. I didn't bother opening my eyes when I pressed it to my ear.

"Somebody better be dying," I grumbled.

"Bella?"

The tone of my mom's voice immediately woke me up. "Mom?"

There was a long silence but I could hear what sounded like a hospital in the background. And sniffling. Definitely sniffling. "Mom, what happened?"

"There was an accident," she finally managed. "Your father…"

My blood ran cold and my heart stopped. I sat up. "Is he ok?"

"I don't know," she sobbed. "I don't know. He's been shot."

I closed my eyes and rested my head against my knees. "Where are you?"

"The hospital."

I rolled my eyes. "I know, Mom, which hospital?"

"Oh. City General."

"Ok. I'll be there soon."

"Be careful. I love you sweetie."

"I love you too, Mom. Tell Dad I'm coming."

"I will."

I flipped the phone closed and sat for a moment, processing. I glanced at the clock and saw it read 5 am. God it was early. I'd only been asleep for about three hours. I burst into tears from the fear and the exhaustion and worry.

"Bella?"

I jumped and looked over my shoulder. "Shit, Edward. I completely forgot you were here."

"Is everything ok?" he sat up looking bleary eyed.

"No, my dad was shot. He's in the hospital."

"Fuck, shot?" He was wide awake now. "What happened?"

I shook my head. "I have no clue. He's a police chief so it was likely in the line of duty."

He nodded and reached out, rubbing a warm hand over my back. "You need anything?"

"I need to book the first flight out," I muttered, wiping at my face.

I disentangled myself from the sheets wrapped around my waist and padded into the living room. I slid into my desk chair and pulled up the internet browser, hastily looking up flights back home and wiping more tears from my eyes.

"Bella, do you want me to come with you?"

I looked up, surprised. "What?"

Edward was standing in the small hallway, the light from my bedroom now on and back lighting him. "I'm a little anxious about you traveling alone. Do you want me to come with you? I can talk to the doctors; get a better idea of what's going on."

"I…you have work, Edward," I finished lamely.

"You're more important. Plus I already called to take time off to deal with the shit with Jessica."

"So deal with that. You don't need to be dealing with me."

"Bella let me take care of you right now. It'll make me feel better."

He was kneeling in front of me now, his hands rubbing soothingly up and down my bare legs. He was looking at me with so much concern, I started crying again and all I could do was nod. He slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me forward, hugging me. I pressed my face against his neck and slid off the chair into his lap.

"Worst week ever," I hiccupped.

"No shit," he murmured, smoothing my hair. "Go pack some stuff and I'll book our flights, ok?"

I nodded and sat up, wiping at my face. "Ok."

He kissed my forehead and I headed into my room, digging a suitcase out from under the bed. I threw in whatever my hands found: jeans, t-shirts, underwear. I paused in the closet and took a deep breath, grabbing a bright red dress. Dad always said he didn't want us wearing black when he died. I hoped I didn't need this for a funeral, but I'd have it if I did.

I pulled on a pair of jeans and stuffed my feet into some flats before hurrying to the laundry area and pulling Edward's clothes out of the dryer. He took them and closed himself in the bathroom wordlessly while I called Jake.

"Bella? Is everything ok?" His voice was tense. There weren't many reasons I'd be calling before 6 on a Sunday morning.

"My dad's in the hospital back home and I'm going."

"You need me to come with you or give you a ride to the airport?"

"No, thanks. Edward's going with me."

"Edward?" he sounded surprised.

"Yeah, he turned up here a few hours ago. He's getting dressed. I just needed to tell you."

"Ok. What do you need me to do?"

"Can you come by and look after Leo for me?"

"No problem."

"Also, we're going to stop by on the way to the airport so Edward can grab a few things. Think you can drive us and pick us up?"

"Not a problem. Bells, anything you need, I'm there."

"Thanks." I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. "This is so fucked up, you know?"

"I know. He'll be fine. From what you've told me, he's a fighter, Bells. He'll make it."

I nodded, not trusting my voice. Edward came out of the bathroom then and looked at me expectantly. I grabbed my purse and laptop bag, grateful he'd packed it up for me and we headed out.

"We're heading out now, so we'll be there in fifteen."

"I'll have a bag ready for Edward."

"Thanks Jake. I really appreciate this."

"Anything, Bells, you know that."

"Yeah, I do," I said softly. I suddenly remembered the words he'd said, words I'd thought were a dream and was now thinking maybe hadn't been.

Edward and I were silent on the drive, both lost in thought. My mind was racing, wishing I lived closer to home, wishing I wasn't an only child, wishing that Dad had retired a few years ago like Mom pressured him to. I must have been doing that nervous finger drumming thing I do because Edward reached over and took my hand after a moment, squeezing it tightly. I managed a wobbly smile and turned my focus back to the road.

"Let me know how much the tickets are and I'll reimburse you."

"Nothin' doing, Bells. It's on me."

"Edward, come on."

"No. It's the least I could do."

I sighed. I would fight him on this, but I was too distraught and exhausted. I'd get it out of him later.

We pulled into the parking lot of his apartment and Edward killed the engine. "You want to wait here?"

"No, I'll come in. Jake's going to drive us."

"Alright."

He opened the back and pulled out my suitcase as I started up the path to their apartment. Jake opened the door before I could grab the doorknob and pulled me into a bear hug.

"You doing ok? Relatively?"

I shook my head, tears coming into my eyes. He kissed the top of my head and held me tightly as Edward caught up.

"I packed you a bag, but you might want to double check I didn't forget anything."

"I'm sure its fine, thanks. Anything I need I can just buy there."

"Well, then let's go."

Edward grasped the handle of another suitcase and turned around, heading back to the parking lot. Jake released me and headed towards the parking lot, his hand warm and solid in the small of my back.

I was in a bit of a daze for the next few hours, going through the motions at the airport, kissing and hugging Jake goodbye and settling into my seat on the plane. Twenty minutes into the flight, I was fast asleep curled up against Edward's chest.

I was groggy when we finally landed and shuffled off the plane, dragging our bags behind us. We made our way out into the outdoors and I shivered as a blast of cool air hit me. I was wearing a tank top and jeans and wishing I had a jacket with me. I hadn't thought to grab one in the haste to get home.

"Should we just get a cab or rent a car?" Edward asked, rubbing my arm comfortingly.

"Cab," I muttered, crowding closer to him.

He nodded and squeezed me, kissing my temple before stepping forward and getting in line for a cab.

I hadn't been home in months, something I regretted. What if Dad died? What if the last time he saw me was the LAST time he saw me? It wasn't like we had any bad blood between us, we'd talked a couple weeks ago and signed off with I love yous, but still. I wasn't ready. I was only 25 and I wasn't ready to lose my dad. He still had to walk me down the aisle and bounce my babies on his knee and teach my son about sports and my daughter how to fish.

By the time Edward waved me over to a waiting cab I was in tears. Edward hugged me while I soaked his shirt and the cabbie loaded our bags.

"He's going to be fine, Bells. Everything will be ok."

I nodded and climbed into the cab, not saying anything. I wasn't sure if I believed him or not.

It was a silent but short ride. I was grateful the town wasn't that big. Edward paid the cabbie and dealt with our baggage while I rushed in and got directions to Dad's room. Edward followed behind while I hurried through the halls.

I'd been to this hospital a lot as a kid. I was a complete klutz and that resulted in more than a few trips to the ER. Plus having appendicitis as a teen had needed an overnight stay. Angela's car wreck in high school had resulted in me sleeping in a chair in her room, wracked with guilt of the fact that I hadn't been with her.

So, knowing the hospital like I did, I found Dad's room quickly.

I stopped in the door and stared in at him. My dad, the tall strong bad ass cop with a goofy sense of humor was laying there looking so weak and fragile. His eyes were closed and his salt and pepper hair was mussed. There were wires and tubes and needles and shit everywhere, monitors beeping around him with his heart beat and breath sounds or whatever the hell they were monitoring. Mom was sitting beside his bed, holding his hand tightly, her eyes locked on his face.

"Bella will be here soon, Charlie," she was saying softly. "She'll be here and everything will be fine. Maybe Mike will come. You like Mike."

I grimaced. I hadn't told them about the breakup yet. I'd been waiting until things calmed down with Edward first and just hadn't gotten around to it.

"Hey Mom."

She looked up and her face was pale and drawn but relieved. "Bella," she sighed softly, squeezing Dad's hand one more time before releasing it and standing up. She crossed the room quickly and pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

"How is he?" I asked, setting my purse down on a chair and walking over to the bed.

"He still hasn't woken up from the surgery."

I nodded. "And what do the doctors say?"

"He'll be fine, he was shot in the hip so he'll have a limp for the rest of his life but he's going to be fine."

"Oh thank God," I breathed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and gingerly taking Dad's other hand. I heard a low cough from the door and I looked up, startled. Edward stood there looking a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, shit, sorry. Mom, this is Edward. Edward, this is my mom, Renee Swan and my dad, Charlie."

"Edward?" Mom looked at him with surprise. "The doctor friend from Dallas?"

I nodded and Edward stepped forward, offering Mom his hand. "I would say it's nice to meet you, but this is a terrible situation."

Mom nodded, slightly dazzled. And who wouldn't be? Even after a hurried wake up and packing and trip to the airport and flight across the country, Edward still looked delectable. While my clothes looked like I'd slept in them, his looked stylishly rumpled. I probably had crease marks on my face and he had just the right amount of stubble. It was a good thing he was my best friend or I'd hate him right now.

"Well, we've heard a lot about you, Edward," she smiled. "You're engaged, right?"

I winced. Of course. The one ort of information that my mom remembered about Edward, other than his profession, was his relationship status.

"Well, not anymore. We broke things off recently."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"I'm not," he smiled easily. "I found out in time that she'd been keeping some things from me."

"That's good that you found out then." Mom looked back and forth between us. "And Mike?"

I sighed. "We broke up, Mom. Same kind of situation, actually. He'd been keeping some secrets."

"Like what?"

"Like his girlfriend." I suddenly wished I had some alcohol. "I don't want to talk about this right now, Mom."

"Of course." I could see the wheels in her head turning as she looked back and forth between me and Edward and I grunted and turned back to Dad. Obviously he was going to be fine if she was thinking about my love life. "How long can you stay?"

"As long as you need, I guess."

She nodded and looked relieved. Mom hated being alone. Nights when Dad worked late, she'd get in bed with me.

"I'll just go get everyone some coffee. Need anything else?"

Mom shook her head. "No, thank you Edward. Coffee alone is great."

I nodded and twisted my hair up into a messy knob on top of my head, securing it with a hair tie. Edward kissed my forehead affectionately before disappearing out the door. Mom settled on the other side of the bed and raised her eyebrows at me.

I shook my head. "No, Mom. Not right now."

"Later then."

I groaned internally. Right. Because I flew all the way up here to my dad's bedside just so my mom could grill me about my romantic entanglements. Truth be told, I had no idea what to tell her about Edward. All the kissing and only one talk and then the fiasco with Jessica had left me a little confused. We definitely needed to talk.

"Bella?"

"Daddy?" In the moment of comforting my dad, I reverted to childhood.

"Bella. How are you?"

I laughed softly and squeezed his hand. "I'm good, Dad. How are you?"

"I hurt like hell and I'd love a beer, but I'm gonna live."

"How do you know that?" I fussed, smoothing his hair back. "You've been unconscious."

"That's what you think. Tell me about Edward."

I laughed softly. "Sneaky."

"Tell me."

I rolled my eyes. "There's not much _to_ tell, Dad. He's a good friend and he came with me so I wouldn't be alone."

"Really good friend since I know your mother didn't call you until after 5 am."

"He was there with me," I hedged.

Mom gasped and Dad raised his eyebrows. "He was there? As in…in your bed?"

I sighed. "Yes, but it's not what you think. No sex. He and his fiancée had a huge blow up last night and he didn't want to go home so he came to me. We talked a little, we went to sleep, you called and he offered to come with me. End of story."

"So how often are there platonic men in your bed?" Dad was grinning now, clearly welcoming the distraction from his pain.

"Just Edward. And Jake."

"Jake the mechanic Jake?" This definitely piqued his interest. Dad loved working on cars so a possible mechanic boyfriend trumped even a possible doctor boyfriend.

"Yes, Jake the mechanic Jake. He's been really great at being around this past week and not letting me just wallow in the break up with Mike."

"So he was two-timing you?"

"Yes."

"How'd you find out?"

"I called him and she answered."

"As soon as I'm healed I'm going to go kick his ass."

I laughed softly and patted his hand. "Thanks, but no need, Dad. Everything is fine now. I only have to see him at Angela's wedding next month and that's it. He'll be out of my life forever."

"Well, my offer stands."

"I know, Dad. You'd have to get in line, though. Jake, Edward and Rose are all just itching to kick his ass."

"I think as father, I have the trump card."

"Probably. I'll gladly go and assist, though."

We looked up as Edward came in then, carefully carrying three cups of coffee and a white bag. He smiled at me as I stood up and took the coffees, handing one to Mom. She smiled appreciatively at Edward and took a sip.

"What's in the bag? Something for me?"

Edward chuckled and shook his head. "No, sorry, you're likely on a strict diet for a little while. These are some donuts I scammed out of the doctor's lounge. The coffee came from there, too, so you know it's a little better than the sludge they have in the cafeteria."

"I happen to know that the sludge in the cafeteria isn't that bad."

Edward laughed and leaned against the wall, setting the bag down on the chair with my purse. "Well, I'll have to take your word for it."

"Thank you for the coffee and donuts, Edward," Mom said, shooting Dad a look.

Dad grinned and looked like he was formulating a reply when the door opened and a tall gorgeous woman in a white coat strode in purposefully. "Hello, how are we feeling Chief Swan?"

"I'm feeling like shit, I don't know about the rest of you."

"Charlie," Mom admonished.

The doctor smiled and looked at me and Edward. "I'm Dr. Becker, your father's physician."

She held out her hand to me and I shook it. "Hi, Bella."

She nodded. "If you and your husband could leave the room for a moment, I'd like to check his incision."

"Oh, he's not my husband he's just my friend," I said quickly, my face flaring up.

Edward chuckled softly and put his hand in the small of my back. "We'll wait out here."

I stumbled out into the hallway, nearly tripping over my own feet in my embarrassment. "God, I'm so sorry about all that. You'd think narrowly escaping death or whatever would have put a bit of a pall over them but apparently not."

"You're an only child," he said easily, steering me towards a row of uncomfortable plastic chairs.

I settled in and he handed me the bag of donuts. I dug one out and took a bite, sighing contentedly. Now that I was sure Dad wasn't dying, I was starving.

"Thanks," I mumbled around a mouthful of sugary goodness.

He grinned and grabbed another one, taking a healthy bite himself. We sat in quiet companionship, eating our donuts and sipping coffee.

"So, I guess since Dad's ok, you can go back now if you want."

"Do you want me to?"

I played with the plastic tab on my cup lid. "No."

He grinned at the floor. "Then I'll stay. I can deal with Jessica shit just as easily here as I did there."

"What shit do you need to deal with?"

"Mainly the bank account. We had a joint account and I need to get her name off it ASAP so she doesn't drain it."

"Ouch. Think she'd be able to get much today?"

He shook his head and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. "No, we have a daily limit of $200 and I took that at the airport this morning while you were peeing."

"I peed?"

He laughed softly. "You don't remember?"

"Most of this morning is a bit of a blur," I admitted.

He stretched languorously. "You had a lot on your mind. I have to say though, if this is what your parents are like in a high stress situation, I can't wait to see them in a regular situation."

I grinned. "I have a feeling you'll get to see that soon. Mom's going to insist that we stay with them as long as we're here."

"That's fine with me." He gave me that sexy crooked smile that got him free drinks and great tables and free appetizers all over Dallas. I lightly pushed his head away.

"So, what are we now anyway?" I asked bluntly after a long silence.

"What do you mean?"

"You and Jessica are over, me and Mike are over, there's nothing with me and Jake. What are you and me?"

"Friends?"

I snorted. "Right. A friend doesn't dry hump you in the night then fly half way across the country when your dad gets shot."

"Come on, there was no dry humping."

I bumped my shoulder into his. "Still."

"Yeah." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I don't know. I think that maybe we both need a bit of a break from the dating thing or something. At least I do. Shit, I was with Jessica for like six years, Bella."

"I know."

We sat in silence for a bit.

"I don't want to fuck up our relationship," he said finally "and I'm afraid if we jump into a relationship right now, after we've both just gotten out of relationships, it might not turn out that well."

"Ok."

"Plus, Jake's been in love with you pretty much since the day you two met and…I don't want to be that guy. I mean, if I was in a better mindset and you chose me over him, I would, but…I'm not and I won't."

I nodded and picked at my fingernails. "You have some good points there."

"I know. It's cause I'm a doctor."

I grinned. "So even after everything with Jessica, you still think I should give Jake a chance?"

"I do." He said it so quietly I almost missed it. I reached over and took his hand, lacing my fingers in his.

"For what it's worth, I really appreciate you coming with me."

He squeezed. "I'll always choose you, Bella. Always."

***

We were only with my parents for a week, as it turned out. Dad was cleared to go home a few days later and with Edward there, he and Mom quickly figured out what they needed to do and managed to do it. Edward was able to get a hold of the bank first thing Monday morning and put a hold on his account until he could figure things out with Jessica's money. That warranted a screaming phone call in the middle of the night that startled both of us awake.

Mom and Dad exchanged looks whenever Edward and I went to bed together. It was a two bedroom house and the couch wasn't big enough or comfortable enough for either of us, so it only made sense we'd share. The first morning at breakfast, Mom kept looking back and forth between us, as though trying to see something that wasn't there.

My parents hadn't really liked Mike that much, in spite of assurances to the contrary. We'd been together for a couple of years but I knew that my parents had secretly hoped we wouldn't end up together. I hadn't missed the fleeting looks of relief that flitted across their faces Monday afternoon when I finally sat down with them and told them what happened. Dad looked incredibly pissed but he calmed down when I told him how well my friends had been taking care of me.

The next Saturday found Edward and I sitting on a bench outside DFW waiting on Jake to pick us up. Edward yawned and stretched backwards over the bench.

"So have you talked to Jake? About what we talked about?" he asked, scratching his stomach.

I shook my head and stared at the pavement. "No, I figured I'd talk to him about it in person."

He nodded and reached over, resting his hand on the back of my neck. "It'll be fine."

"I'm worried about fucking up relationships, too, you know," I muttered, sitting back and resting my head on his shoulder. "What if it doesn't work out and we can't stand each other?"

"Not gonna happen. Even if things don't work out with you two, you'll always be friends."

I nodded but was still anxious. Maybe I should just let it be, stay in limbo with everyone. I'd only been broken up with Mike for two weeks now, it wasn't like I needed to have a boyfriend all the time like some girls. I was perfectly happy on my own with my little family of friends.

We looked up as the Rabbit roared up to the curb and Jake climbed out, expanding to his full height. He trotted over, a big grin on his face as he first clapped Edward on the shoulder and then pulled me into a hug.

"How was the flight?"

"Good. How's the week here been?"

"Not bad. Quiet without you two around."

I chuckled and climbed into the car, strapping myself into the back seat while Edward and Jake loaded our luggage into the back.

"What's on tap for tonight? You two up for anything?" asked Jake as he climbed in and roared out of the terminal.

"I'd be up for something quiet," I volunteered. "Food and a movie?"

"We can do that. You wanna do it at your place so you can go to bed whenever you want?"

I grinned. "You're just wanting to suck up to Leo more aren't you?"

"Hey, he loves me. We really bonded this week."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

Jake regaled us with stupid stories of him and Leo snuggling on the couch, watching movies, sharing a tuna sandwich.

"Jesus, Jake," I laughed as we pulled up to my apartment "did you just move into my apartment while I was gone?"

"Pretty much," he grinned. "Its cozy there. I kinda like the idea of living with a girl and her cat."

I rolled my eyes and climbed out, stretching. "Yeah yeah. Edward's not movie out now so you're stuck with him."

"Actually," Edward countered, climbing out beside me "I've been thinking about that. Jake, you interested in moving with me to the house?"

"Seriously?" Jake looked up from the hatch, his eyebrows practically at his hair line. "So you're keeping it?"

"Yeah, might as well. I really do like the house and it's in my name, not hers. Our lease is up in a couple months so that gives us time to get the house looking like we want it to. Four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, two living rooms, two car garage, pool…"

"Dude, you had me at making the house look like we want it to. I'm totally in." Jake was beaming over the top of the car at Edward.

I grinned. "You two are so gay."

"We are not," Jake laughed, slinging an arm over my shoulders as we walked in to the apartment. "We just really like each other."

"The naked showering isn't that weird. Athletes do it all the time. And the kissing…ok, the kissing's a little gay," Edward grinned, playing along.

"I'm still ok with it. I'll totally add you boys to my eunuch army."

"Low blow."

I grinned and dug my keys out of my purse. "So are you two going to paint? I love to paint."

"That's another thing. You want to move in with us? We'll give you the master suite."

I stared at him in surprise. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Living with two boys. Two boys I was torn between. Interesting concept.

***

Option A: She agrees to move in with the guys.

Option B: She decides to stay in her own place.


	10. Chapter 10: Three's Company

Rose grabbed me from behind in a tight hug. "How are ya girly?"

I laughed and turned, hugging her properly. "Fine. Dad's fine and I'm fine. How was the week without me?"

"Boring as fuck," she sighed, sliding onto the tall barstool and propping her chin in one hand. "Emmett's away on some lame ass business thing so I've been alone. I was counting on us having some girl time this week."

"Next week maybe?" I offered.

She grinned. "Of course. Someone's got to help you pack up this place. I still can't believe you're going to move in with those losers."

I laughed. "They need someone to keep them in line. We're gonna have a packing party here tomorrow then next weekend we'll work at their place."

"You should pack up their clothes and get rid of all the worn out shit and those lame t-shirts of Jake's that he insists on wearing."

I grinned and passed her a beer. "Maybe so."

She took a sip of it, studying me shrewdly. "So how're things?"

"Good. You?"

"Oh, you know. Same old same old. What about you and Edward, though? What's going on there?"

"We're friends."

"Bullshit."

I grinned and walked around the bar and into the living room. Rose joined me a moment later, her eyebrows still raised. I sighed and dropped onto the couch. "We talked about what we are now that he and Jessica aren't together anymore and basically, he's not ready for a relationship so we've decided to stay friends."

"Friends with benefits?"

I laughed. "That was not established, but I'm thinking no."

"Would you be opposed to it?"

I took a sip of my beer, giving myself time to think. "You know, I'm not sure. He's encouraging me to date Jake for now, so wouldn't that be weird?"

"Dude, you joke about your man harem…you could totally get one going with the two of them."

I laughed again. "I think that'd be weird, though. They've been best friends since forever, I'd hate if for whatever reason, I came between them."

"It's ok to be between them if it's a threesome."

I threw a pillow at her and she laughed, throwing it back. We were in the middle of throwing things at each other when the door opened and the guys entered. Edward simply raised an eyebrow, standing back and out of the range of fire while Jake's face broke into a huge grin and he lunged at the couch, grabbing a pillow and tossing it at me.

"Naked pillow fight!" he shouted excitedly.

"Ew, gross," Rose laughed. "The only peen I want to see is Emmett's."

"Good thing for you I'm not nearly as picky," Jake grinned. "I'm an equal opportunity boob man. I love all women's boobs."

"Edward, save me," I laughed as Jake shifted on the couch, smooshing me into the cushions.

Edward grinned and shook his head, holding up his hands. "No can do, I have no desire whatsoever to see Jake's peen."

"Jackass," I grumbled, pushing against Jake's back futilely.

Jake shifted again, flailing his arms a little as he shifted too far and fell off the couch, shaking the room a bit with the impact.

"Ow, fuck."

I rolled over and looked down at him. "You ok, babe?"

"I'm good. Just bruised my ego is all." He shot me his most dazzling smile and I rolled my eyes, pushing myself up and studying Rose.

Her hair was all over the place from Jake's mauling attack. She looked a cross between annoyed and amused, an interesting combo on her face. She sighed and shook her head.

"Seriously? You're moving in with these two psychos?"

I laughed and nodded. "Seriously. Its gonna be like this for the first few weeks maybe, but I'm sure they'll calm down after they're used to me."

"Hey, don't talk about me like I'm not here," complained Jake, reaching up and lightly pinching my arm.

"I'll talk about you however the hell I want," I laughed, swatting him away. "Goober."

"Are you planning on cooking on occasion?" he demanded, pushing himself up and heading into the kitchen to retrieve beers for himself and Edward.

"I suppose so."

"Then ok. Talk all the smack you want about me."

Edward grinned as Jake passed him a bottle and settled on the couch between Rose and I. "You and your stomach. I'm surprised some hot chick with a way in the kitchen hasn't locked you down before now."

"Yeah, it's a curse that I'm attracted to women who cook. One of these days, a woman is gonna catch me with her foof and her kitchen skills."

"I'm sorry, foof?" Rose stared at him. "What the fuck is a foof?"

"You know, her…" he looked meaningfully at her lap.

Rose's jaw dropped. "You call it a foof?"

"It's less offensive than twat, cunt, or cooch," he said with a shrug as he took a sip of his beer.

I snickered into mine, shaking my head. "Oh lordy. So, anyway, pizza ok for dinner?"

We settled in with pizza and beer, watching a movie until it was late and we were all tired. Edward actually dozed off at one point, inspiring Jake to run to the bathroom and get my shaving cream and do the whole shaving cream in the palm, tickle their nose with a feather sleepover trick. Edward wasn't nearly as amused as the rest of us were.

While he was cleaning up, Rose stood and started clearing our plates and empty bottles. I shifted on the couch, suddenly nervous about what I was about to talk to Jake about.

"How're you doing?" he asked with a soft smile. This was the Jake that could seriously charm a girl, the sweet caring gentle Jake.

"I'm good. A little nervous, actually."

"Nervous?"

I took a deep breath. "Would you be interested in going on a date with me? Like, dinner or something?"

He stared at me with surprise, his mouth opening slightly. "Seriously?"

I nodded. "Yes. I know it's only been a couple weeks since Mike and I ended things but…"

"Yes."

I blinked. "Yes?"

"Yes." He grinned at me. "Definitely yes. A hundred million times yes. For you, always yes."

I flushed slightly. "Ok. Yes."

He grinned and reached over, taking my hand in his large one and squeezing it excitedly. Rose came back in then, her eyebrows raised as she settled on Jake's other side.

"Am I interrupting anything?"

"Nope, not a thing," Jake grinned, pulling me into his lap.

Edward came in then, his face and hair relatively shaving cream free. He paused for a moment, looking at us. His face was unreadable and I scanned it anxiously. He finally smiled and nodded slightly before looking at his watch.

"If we're going to come over tomorrow and help you pack, we should get home early, Jake. We have to go get boxes and shit in the morning on our way over here."

"Alright." Nothing, apparently, was going to dampen Jake's mood. He settled me beside him on the couch and kissed my temple before standing up. "See you ladies tomorrow. Remember: packing in the nude is not only allowed, it is also encouraged."

Our laughter followed them out the door, then Rose turned to me.

"So you and Jake."

"Me and Jake."

"How do you think that's going to go?"

"Not a damn clue."

"Good luck, chickadee."

"Thanks."

Rose ended up staying the night, producing an overnight bag from her car and settling into my bed before I really had a chance to protest. I sighed and shrugged, accepting that it was highly likely I wouldn't spend many nights alone in a bed from here on out. My friends seemed to think I needed a constant bedfellow. That or they all wanted one and I was the easiest one to crawl into bed with.

We woke up early the next morning. Rose jumped in the shower while I ran to the bakery down the street and got breakfast sandwiches and donuts and coffee. I got back as the boys were pulling into the parking lot. Jake grinned at me, trotting over to help me with the food while Edward struggled along behind with his arms full of broken boxes and packing tape.

"You look chipper this morning," I teased.

Jake beamed at me. "Of course. I'm pumped for the next part of our lives. I think it's gonna rock living with you two."

"Uh huh." I winked at him and turned to smile at Edward. "I'd hug you but we've both got our arms full."

"When we get inside," he laughed.

I nodded and led the way. Rose was out of the shower, dressed, and already working in my room.

"Bitch, you have got to get rid of some of this shit. I mean, really, what the fuck is this?" she demanded, holding up my bridesmaid's dress. "This is like some kind of Madonna video reject or something. Hideous. I can't imagine that it ever looked good on you."

I sighed and set the food down on the table. "It doesn't, but I can't get rid of it yet. I'm wearing it to the wedding in Massachusetts in a couple weeks."

"No way. Does that even cover your ass?" laughed Edward, picking at the lacy skirt with two fingers.

"Barely," I muttered, slapping his hand away.

"Ok, try it on."

I stared at Rose horrified. "Why?"

"Because. Something this heinous deserves to be modeled and flaunted about. You've got shoes I'm guessing."

I shot her a murderous glare. "I hate you."

"No, you love me."

"Bitch."

"Just put it on."

I sighed and snatched it from her, knowing there was no point in arguing with them. I could hear them all laughing as I shut the door and shimmied out of my jeans and into the dress. If possible, it looked even worse here.

I twisted my hair up into a knot on top of my head and jammed my feet into the lavender slippers. I pouted at my reflection in the mirror before throwing the door open.

The laughter and conversation that had been muffled by the doorway stopped immediately when the door opened. Jake was frozen with an éclair halfway in his mouth, Edward was pouring juice into a glass and Rose fell out of her chair laughing.

"Oh my god she totally hates you."

"Fuck you," I muttered. "Can I go put my real clothes back on?"

"No, just a second."

I shifted my glare to Jake just in time to see him pull his phone out of his pocket and snap a picture of me.

"Jake!" I shrieked.

He grinned. "What? They'll take a shitton of pictures at the wedding you know."

I groaned. "Can I play hooky then?"

"Nope," laughed Edward. "You've got to go. She's your best friend, right?"

"I'm her best friend," huffed Rose "and no way are you wearing something that hideous for my wedding."

I blinked. "I'm in your wedding?"

"Fuck, have I not asked you?"

I laughed. "No."

"Bella Swan," she grinned, dropping down on one knee and grabbing my hands in hers "will you be my bridesmaid? If I promise it's a beautiful, tasteful dress?"

"Bitch, please. I'd be in your wedding if you asked me to wear this monstrosity again."

She grinned and stood up. "Hell no. I want to look back on my photos fondly."

"I'm changing now," I laughed, ducking back into my room.

We worked for most of the day, laughing and joking as they all teased me for some of the random shit I had. Jake took on the kitchen while Edward tackled the living room leaving the bedroom for Rose and the bathroom for me. Since Edward already owned the house and it was painted and ready to go, the plan was to move me in as soon as possible so that we could focus on packing and moving the guys.

By the end of the day, we were all exhausted and sweaty and ready to reconsider our decision to move. I collapsed on the couch sprawled across Jake and Edward's laps while Rose took the armchair.

"So how much of this furniture are you taking with you?" she yawned.

"Dunno. That master bedroom is pretty big, right?" I twisted my head to look up into Edward's face.

"Yeah, but not the size of this apartment."

I laughed. "Obviously not, but do I have space for my shit? Like, do I have to put my desk in another room?"

You don't have to if you don't want to. I figured we'd turn the smallest bedroom into like, office central. Put all our desks in there."

"You seriously want Jake in there with his porn watching habits?" I laughed. "Maybe he should keep his computer and desk in his room."

"She's got a point, dude," grinned Jake, rubbing my achy feet absentmindedly. "I mean, I can't be held responsible for the things you might see if I have to be in a public area to watch porn."

Edward shot him an annoyed look. "I was actually kind of hoping you'd show some restraint since we'll be living with a woman."

"Please. Boy doesn't know the meaning of the word restraint," laughed Rose.

I grinned. "Scary, since I'm going on a date with him soon."

"Yeah, about that," Jake grinned and shifted on the couch so he could see my face better. "When do we do that?"

I shrugged and sat up. "When do you want? I'm working the next six days to make up for missing a week."

"Nights?"

"Of course."

"Hm." He frowned and stared at the floor for a moment.

"You could do something after Bella gets off work," offered Edward. "Maybe go to some diner that's open 24 hours?"

I snorted. "I'm sorry, but I don't want a first date to be at Waffle House or IHOP."

"Fine," laughed Jake. "What about a lunch date? We can go out before you go in one day this week."

"You're not worried about being rushed or something?"

"No."

I chuckled. "Alright, then let's do that. I'll meet you at the garage and we'll go get a bite as our first date."

"Not very romantic," grumbled Rose.

"I don't need romance," I laughed. "I'm ok with silly and goofy and simple and sappy."

"Good to know," Jake nodded, obviously taking mental notes.

I snickered and stood up, stretching. "And on that note, all you assholes get out. I've got shit to do tomorrow and you all have work."

Edward grunted as he stood up. "Thanks for reminding me," he grumbled, pulling me into a hug and kissing my head.

"You are so welcome," I grinned. I slipped my arm around his waist and walked with him to the door while Rose gathered her things from my room and heading out with him. Jake hung back and looked at me with a smile.

"You sure you're ok with a lunch date? I can wait until next weekend when you're free."

"I'm sure, Jake," I smiled.

He reached for me hesitantly, pulling me close to him and lowering down to kiss me. I returned it enthusiastically, enjoying his taste and smell and feel against me. He finally broke away and shook his head.

"You're going to drive me crazy, I can already tell."

I laughed softly. "You'll love every minute of it, you know you will."

"Yep." He kissed my forehead and straightened up fully. "Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Definitely."

"Jake?"

"Yes."

"Will you go to the wedding with me? As my date?"

"Are you sure?" he looked surprised.

"Yes. Mike will be there. With his whore. He's the best man and I just don't want to be there by myself."

"I'll definitely go with you and we'll put that bitch to shame. It'll be awesome."

I smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

"Anything, Bells. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

I sighed softly. "Once more?"

"Anything." He kissed me again and then left.

I watched as he and Edward drove off, raising my hand in a goodbye as the car passed my door. Edward raised his as well and Jake gave me a huge grin.

The next week went by quickly. I spent most of my mornings transferring boxes between my apartment and the house and then my afternoons and evenings at work. The date kept getting postponed because work kept coming up. Apparently, the hotel nearly fell to pieces while I was gone for a week.

Thursday evening I was leaning against the desk tiredly, staring out into the porte-cochere without really seeing anything. It was raining lightly and the temperature had dropped so it was definitely what I would consider sleeping weather.

"Bella."

I straightened up and smiled. "James. I haven't seen you all week. I was beginning to wonder if you were really here."

He grinned and leaned against the desk. "I've been busy, you've been busy, we just keep missing each other. How's your dad?"

"He's good, thanks for asking."

He nodded. "Good. I was worried last week. I had to eat Victoria's brownies by myself."

I laughed and shook my head. "I'm sure it was a real trial."

He grinned. "I just want you to know, I've named the brownie pounds after you."

"That's weird, James," I laughed again.

"Yeah, I know." He stood for a moment, clearly thinking over something. "So I talked to Laurent about you."

"And?"

"He really wants to come out and go on a date with you but he doesn't think he can for a couple months."

"Ah." I leaned against the desk. "Well, that probably won't work. I'm sort of seeing someone now."

"That was fast."

I grinned. "Yeah. I think it'll be interesting though. It's a guy I like a lot."

"Well obviously."

I chuckled and nodded. "True. Who dates someone they don't like?"

"So you trust this guy? You don't think he's just after sex?"

I blinked. "Of course I do."

"Good." He nodded, staring at the wall behind me. I could tell he wasn't terribly pleased, though.

"James, I'm sorry things didn't work out with your brother, but when I have a chance at something to make me happy, I'm gonna take it. You've got to see that, right?"

"I just see that you agreed to a date and now you're backing out."

"It's not like he was here now. I'd go if he was here now or even if he came next week. I just think that by the time he could get here, I'd be in an exclusive relationship."

"I offered to fly you out to Salt Lake."

"I know, and I appreciate that, but you've got to see my side in that, too. I just don't feel comfortable in a situation like that. Honestly, I could lose my job for something like that. Fraternizing with the guests is really not acceptable."

He shook his head. "You don't have to make excuses, Bella," he said finally, a note of annoyance in his voice. "If you don't want to go out with Laurent, just say it."

I gritted my teeth in frustration. That wasn't what I meant at all. "James…"

"No, I'm going to bed. I'll see you around Bella." With that, he walked out. I watched him go, a little dismayed.

Guili showed up a little while later to relieve me and I headed out, driving carefully in the rain. I hated driving in rain. I was always nervous about it, even though I grew up where we frequently had wet weather. It wasn't the weather, actually. It was the other drivers. Texans freaked out whenever there was water on the roads. I was dreading winter and possible snow and ice.

As I drove, my mind wandered as I drove, going over the conversation with James and wondering what would happen now and how he would react around me in the future. My mind wandered too far, though, and when I came back to where I was, it was too late.

There was a car approaching quickly from behind me, even I could see that. The problem was, the cars ahead of me were stopped. There was nowhere for me to go.

I slammed on the brakes and turned the wheel to the right sharply to avoid the car ahead of me, the red brake lights blurred in the rain. I missed the car, screeching to a stop with my front end inches from the other car and partially beside it. I breathed a sigh of relief that quickly turned into a squeak of terror as the car from behind slammed into my car.

My car spun as far as it could before slamming into the car in front of me. I could feel glass shattering all around me, pelting me and letting the rain in. My car continued forward and I drove into a ditch. The front end of my car smashed into the ground as it rose on the other side and my airbag inflated, snapping my head back painfully.

I sat for a moment, stunned, mentally assessing my body and hoping I wasn't dead.

"Miss?"

I turned my head, dazed. Someone was standing at my door, trying to open it.

"Miss, unlock your door."

I reached over numbly and pushed the button to unlock the car. The person on the other side reached in and unbuckled my seatbelt, pulling me carefully out. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," I said numbly. "I'm fine."

"Can we call someone for you?"

"What?" I looked up at the friendly concerned face, uncomprehendingly.

"Do you have someone we can call? A husband or friend?"

"My boyfriend," I managed. "Jake."

He nodded and another person stepped up. Some words were exchanged and the other person disappeared into my car, emerging a moment later with my purse. The man who was holding me bent me over a little and started to gently brush the broken glass off of me. I could hear more talking but I was having a hard time focusing on the words.

I turned when I saw flashing lights and noticed then that not only were the original three cars banged up, but there were a couple others. And someone was sitting on a screaming angry man on the road.

"What's going on?" I asked the man holding me up.

"The guy that hit you was on the run from the cops apparently. That guy" he gestured to the man sitting "stopped him while the cops called for backup and made sure people were ok."

"Oh."

"Your boyfriend is on the way. Edward's coming too."

I nodded gratefully, taking my phone and purse back from the guy who was holding them out to me. My head and neck were throbbing, it'd be good to have Edward here.

"Is anyone hurt?"

We turned at the sound of a policeman's voice.

"We're fine," the two men offered, then the attention turned to me. "I'll be fine, I'm just a little sore."

"Maybe you should get checked out," the cop offered. "There's an ambulance on the way."

"My boyfriend's roommate is a doctor," I chattered. "I'll let him check me over."

They nodded and moved on to the next group of shivering onlookers. One of the guys who'd helped me out of my car lightly draped a coat around my shoulders. I was ruing my decision to wear my skirt suit today.

"Bella!"

I looked up and nearly cried with relief when I saw Jake and Edward making their way towards me. Jake wrapped me in a bear hug, kissing me soundly while Edward talked to the two men to see what had happened.

"Are you ok?" Jake asked anxiously.

"I'm fine, but I think my car is totaled."

Jake turned to look at it while Edward turned me towards him in full on doctor mode.

After a few minutes, they were satisfied that I was fine and the car was not.

"I brought the tow truck," Jake offered "we can get it back to the shop and I'll get working on it and it'll be back to normal in no time."

I nodded, not really caring.

A few hours later, the car had been loaded up and towed to the garage, I had been given a clean bill of health at the ER and Jake was helping me into bed at the guys' apartment. Edward was still anxious about me so insisted that I stay with them in case anything happened in the middle of the night.

"So boyfriend? We haven't been on a real date yet."

I smiled tiredly. "What would you like me to call you? I figured boyfriend was easier than 'best guy friend who I'm sort of dating but don't really know what we are yet.'"

"Very true."

He settled on the edge of the bed and studied me. "Are we ok to share a bed?"

"Definitely."

He grinned and stood up, pulling his jeans off and crawling into the bed with me. he pulled me against his chest and kissed me again, lightly.

"It scared the shit out of me when I got that call, Bells."

"I'm sorry."

"You're sure you're ok?"

"I'm sure."

He nodded and sighed softly. "I'm glad you're sure and you're ok."

"Me too. I'm glad you came for me."

"Always."

***

Tali: Ok folks! It's time for the big choice.

A: Jake

B: Edward

Depending on what the outcome is, this could get wrapped up in one or two more chapters. Which, frankly, will be a bit of a relief. As much fun as its been, it's also a little stressful trying to write a long enough chapter and to come up with good options and good scenarios to go along with those. Sorry if this felt a little rushed, I had a busy weekend and so wrote all but about 400 words in five hours. Yikes.


	11. Chapter 11: A Final Decision

I yawned and shifted in my plane seat, checking my watch. We were due to land in about thirty minutes.

"I'm fucking starving," Jake muttered beside me.

I turned and grinned at him affectionately, attempting to smooth his hair somewhat. "Yeah, me too. Sorry we couldn't get anything before leaving."

He shrugged and yawned, stretching as much as he could in the cramped space. "Do you think anything is still open?"

"Not a clue. Maybe they'll have something out at the B&B."

He made a face but nodded. I snuggled up close to him, my arms around his waist and my cheek on his chest. He was comfortable and better than a fleece blanket used by God knew how many people at keeping me warm. His arm fit perfectly around my waist and he squeezed affectionately.

The last few weeks since the accident had been pretty calm. Jake and the guys had fixed my car pretty quickly, to my relief. We'd all moved into the house the week after I got my car back and had been enjoying roommate status ever since. Jake and I cooked and Edward bought most of the groceries. It was a nice system.

In spite of our dating relationship, Jake and I didn't share a room. True, we frequently slept in each other's rooms, rarely spending a night alone. At first it seemed like Edward was a little bothered by it, but he either got used to it or got to the point where he didn't mind because after the first few mornings of seeing either me or Jake leaving the other's room, he just smiled and said good morning.

Honestly, I felt a little weird about it. Our relationship hadn't actually changed a ton, mine and Jake's. We were still our affectionate cuddly selves, but now, at the end of the night, there was kissing and sometimes more. I just felt a little strange being affectionate with Jake in front of Edward. I'd even sit up and scoot away a little whenever Edward came home late and found us on the couch watching a movie. If it bothered Jake, he didn't say anything.

I was on the verge of drifting back to sleep when the pilot's calm voice came over the intercom, informing us we were about to begin our descent into Boston. Jake kissed the top of my head and released me so I could sit up and fix my seat.

It took a while, but we finally were on the highway to the B&B. It was a drive, but Jake looked at ease behind the wheel of the tiny rental car, his left hand on the wheel, his right draped warmly on the back of my neck.

"So, she's seriously having an outdoor wedding in October on Cape Cod?"

"Yep."

"She's ten kinds of crazy."

I laughed and nodded. "You'll have to give me your coat as soon as we're done so I don't freeze to death."

He laughed and nodded. "I can do that."

We drove in comfortable silence, carefully maneuvering the dark strange roads. I shifted in my seat again, wishing I'd taken the time to change into jeans and a t-shirt instead of wearing my skirt and heels on the plane. I looked professional, sure, but pantyhose weren't exactly warm in the winter.

"Score, Denny's."

I laughed and gave him a thumbs up. "Let's go."

We finally arrived at the B&B around two in the morning, something the owner looked extremely disgruntled about.

"Breakfast is at 9," she said shortly as she showed us to our room.

"Thanks, sorry we were so late," I yawned. "We just flew in from Dallas."

She nodded but didn't say anything before turning around and walking away down the dark hallway. Jake snickered and pushed the door open, letting me go in first and following with our bags.

I wanted desperately to just flop on the bed and sleep but I needed to hang up my dresses so that they would lose their wrinkles as much as possible. The bridesmaid's dress would be hell to iron.

I unzipped my bag and pulled the dresses out while Jake disappeared into the bathroom to get ready for bed. We were silent the next few minutes before I finally crawled into the fluffy bed in just my panties and a t-shirt, exhausted. I was asleep before Jake joined me.

I woke up the next morning to someone knocking insistently on the door. I groaned and rolled over, pushing Jake. "Door."

He grunted and pushed back. "You."

I whined and pushed against him again. "Please?"

"No."

I sighed and rolled out of the bed. "I'm coming," I muttered grumpily, shuffling across the floor towards the door. I pulled it open a crack and peered out, bleary eyed. "Yeah?"

Angela barreled into the room, throwing her arms around me excitedly.

"Bella! I'm so excited you're here," she squealed, rocking back and forth.

Angela, my best friend for so many years, was pregnant. I stared at her in shock. "When the fuck did that happen?" I gasped, pushing her back and staring down at her belly.

She laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, a few months ago."

"And you didn't tell me why?"

She chuckled. "I could have sworn that I did."

I shook my head. "No, I'd definitely remember that."

She grinned, then froze, finally noticing Jake. Her eyes widened and she looked at me, taking in my state of dress and then looking at Jake again, wearing only a pair of boxers.

"Well, looks like someone moved on rather quickly."

I sighed. "Angela come on, not right now."

"He's hot."

"He's awake," Jake grumbled. "And he'd like to be asleep."

I grinned and took Angela's arm and walked her to the door. "We'll talk later, I promise, but right now, let us sleep."

"I can't, though," she looked truly apologetic. "It's time for breakfast. Everyone in the bridal party's going to be there."

I groaned. "Even Mike?"

"Yeah, and his whore. God, have you seen her?"

I shot her an annoyed look. "Obviously not. We broke up on the phone."

"Dude, such a trade down."

I grinned. "You are a good friend. How much time can you give me?"

"Maybe twenty?"

"Fine. See you then."

She nodded, gave me another hug and looked towards the bed where Jake was now sitting up sleepily. "Nice to meet you."

He nodded and raised a hand in greeting as she left.

"So twenty minutes. Can you be ready?"

"Of course. Do you need me to look gorgeous or intimidating?"

"Can you swing both?" I teased, digging through my bag to pull out my shower supplies.

"Of course," he laughed, standing up and shuffling into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later, I was dressed in my favorite pair of jeans, a snug black sweater that hugged my curves and black flats. I was twisting my hair up into a wet bun while Jake finished brushing his teeth. He was dressed in jeans and a long sleeved red shirt that looked amazing on him, his dark hair spiky from his shower. He turned to me expectantly.

"Do I look gorgeous?"

"Of course."

"Intimidating?"

I grinned. "You know, your size alone really does that for you."

He grinned. "Good genes."

I took a deep breath and then led the way out of the room towards the smell of food.

I'd imagined a lot of things for the first time I saw Mike and his whore after we broke up. I imagined me bursting into tears and begging him to take me back. I imagined him begging me to take him back. I imagined us ignoring each other completely. I imagined hating his whore with a firey passion.

I did not expect what actually happened.

Mike stood up when Jake and I came in. Jake tensed beside me but Mike simply nodded at us and went over to the buffet that'd been set up.

"So, quiet acknowledgment without much awkwardness. Not what I'd expected. I was actually kind of hoping to get to kick his ass," Jake murmured beside me as we made our way towards the buffet line.

I grinned as I grabbed a plate and handed it to him. "You and me both."

Breakfast was fine, just a little awkward. Most of the party were people Angela and I had known for years. Her husband, Ben, knew the others, obviously, but they were still people we'd all known in some manner since college. Except Mike's whore.

She was a bottle blond and as much as I hated to admit it, flawlessly gorgeous. She was dressed nicely but not too nicely showing curves but not in a slutty way. I felt incredibly frumpy next to her.

Jake being Jake, sensed my discomfort and slipped an arm around my waist and kissed my temple. "If she was half the woman you are she wouldn't have slept with another woman's man."

"I kissed another woman's man, though."

"Yeah, but that woman was a skank and you knew she was a bitch."

I shot him a look.

"Bella, seriously. Sex is way different from kissing. You know that. Plus, you and Edward talked shit out and agreed to stop."

I nodded but still felt bad. I couldn't convince myself I was any better than the whore.

We settled at the opposite end of the table from Mike and her, digging in to our food. I was hungrier than I should be since I ate just a few hours previously but I didn't care. I decided to blame the salty air.

As everyone was finishing, Ben stood up, Angela beaming up at him.

"Hey, just a couple quick things," he grinned around at us. "We've moved the wedding indoors since it's so cold outside. They've got a party room down the hall where we'll be. We're gonna do a rehearsal about 5 this evening then dinner at a restaurant in town but we'll carpool out there afterwards. Then tomorrow," he looked at Angela "she has to tell you cause I have no fucking clue."

We laughed softly as Angela pushed him lightly. "Punk. Tomorrow, ladies, we're having a spa day. We'll start at about 8 am and go until 2 pm when we'll have to get dressed for pictures. We're taking all the pictures beforehand so there will be no delay between the wedding and the reception. The guys are going golfing or some shit while we're getting gorgeous."

Jake leaned over then. "Fuck, shoot me now. I hate golf."

I swatted at him, a grin on my face. "I hate spa days so we're even."

"You don't need a spa day, you're already gorgeous."

"Aw, you're already pretty well guaranteed to get laid, but it's nice of you to make an effort."

He laughed softly and sat back in his seat.

"For today, though, you're all free to go sightseeing or whatever you want to do." She beamed around the table at us. "There's some neat little shops and shit in town and a movie theater I think. So, just do whatever makes you happy and be back by rehearsal time."

I looked at Jake with raised eyebrows. "Naptime?"

"Fuck yeah." He stood up and pulled my chair out, taking my hand. We had to wait, making the rounds to say hi to everyone, but we finally escaped to our room and bed.

We woke up again around 2 and I panicked initially, thinking we'd overslept before I realized I still had three hours before the rehearsal. I snuggled closer to Jake, who rolled over on top of me, pinning me to the mattress. I grunted and slipped my hands down his sides, tickling him lightly.

He laughed and rolled away. "Aw, you don't wanna fool around?"

I grinned. "I'm ok with it but I wish you wouldn't smother me in the process."

He nosed my neck, his hands slipping into my panties and grabbing my ass. "Ok, fine, no smothering. You are no fun."

"Baby."

The rehearsal that night went easily, no real issues arising. It was simple enough, I was going to walk in alone, hold Angela's bouquet during the ceremony, then walk out with Mike. Piece of cake.

We all piled into a couple of vans and headed out to the restaurant. I tugged self consciously on the hem of my skirt. It was shorter than I'd like for a cold weather wedding but I didn't want to wear jeans again. Jake held me close to him, letting me leech his body heat. I winked up at him and leaned against him gratefully.

Dinner was awkward and quiet, since Mike and Brittany, his whore, were seated at our table. There was a lot of water sipping, eye avoidance, and toying with silverware. Jake finally stood up and took my hand, leading me out onto the dance floor where a couple other couples were swaying to the music.

"He's an ass."

I smiled up at him gratefully. "Thanks."

He kissed me lightly and spun me around the dance floor expertly. I grinned and enjoyed the ride.

Finally, we were loading into the vans to head back to the B&B. I was fairly wide awake, but there was a TV in our room so Jake and I were planning on just vegging out and watching a late movie. Angela grabbed my arm as I was heading in.

"Hey can we talk for a bit?"

"Sure," I said, surprised. I motioned for Jake to go on ahead and then turned back to Angela. "What's up?"

She led me into a small little area with two overstuffed armchairs. I settled in one and looked at her expectantly.

"So, Brittany."

I nodded. "Yes."

"She's going to be at the spa day tomorrow."

I sighed and sat back. "That's what this little secret meeting is about?"

"Well, yeah. I don't want things to be awkward between you two."

I snorted. "Ang, seriously? They would be if I were going to spa day."

"You're not going?" she looked surprised and hurt.

"I can't afford it," I admitted. "I'm a little low on funds these days."

"Why, what happened?" She leaned forward, clearly hoping for a juicy story.

I bit my lip. How to tell her that the money I'd already spent on her weddings was far more than money I'd spent on anyone else ever? "I just don't have it," I shrugged. "Dallas isn't a super expensive place to live, but I was in that accident a couple weeks ago and have to pay for the repairs to the car plus I just moved in with the guys and there were some expenses with that."

Angela sighed and sat back. "I was really hoping you'd be there tomorrow. Everyone else is going to be drinking and I don't get to and honestly, I don't want Brittany there."

"Then why is she?"

"Because I'm too damn nice to say no? Mike asked if she could come with us."

I nodded and shifted, thinking. "Look, can I just come and hang out for part of it? I can probably swing the mani-pedi, but not the facials and massages and shit. It's just a little much for me right now."

"That'd be fantastic, Bell, really."

I nodded and squeezed her hand. "Then it's a deal. Now," I raised my eyebrows meaningfully "tell me about this baby."

We stayed up late, talking and catching up in our little nook until the wee hours of the morning. I finally made my way back into our room, changing into my pjs and crawling into the big bed with Jake. He looked at me with a grin.

"Everything ok?"

"Everything's peachy keen." I kissed him lightly and snuggled down in the bed, watching the shapes flickering across the screen drowsily.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I realized, it was morning again. I showered and dressed quickly, pulling on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved top with flip flops, my hair back in a ponytail. Jake and I had breakfast then he went back to bed while I curled up with a book. Around noon, I finally headed to the onsite spa, braced for an encounter with Brittany.

The other girls were laughing and talking, all of them looking relaxed and shiny faced from their massages and facials. Angela waved me over to the pedicure station next to hers, a champagne flute of orange juice in her hand. I stepped out of my sandals and climbed into the chair, taking another champagne flute offered me.

"Mimosas," Angela said with a wistful sigh. "I love mimosas."

I grinned. "I'll enjoy it for you then." I took a sip and smacked my lips appreciatively.

The pedicure chair on my other side was empty, but not for long. I watched with an odd sort of interest as Brittany stood awkwardly, looking around the room with her mimosa clutched in her hand. I looked at the other girls and saw that no one was giving her a glance. I leaned over to Angela.

"What's going on with Brittany?"

"We all hate her."

"So you're just going to ignore her?"

"Fuck yes. We didn't want her here, she just pushed her way in. Whore."

I looked down at the water, wiggling my toes thoughtfully. I sighed and looked up, catching Brittany's eye.

"Come sit here," I called, motioning her over. Her dark eyes widened a bit but she came over and climbed into the chair next to me. She gave me a grateful yet wary look as she gulped her mimosa.

I turned my attention away from her, feeling like I'd done my good deed for the moment and smiled at the woman working on my feet.

The next couple of hours were spent chitchatting with the other women and enjoying our time. I even let Angela talk me into lavender polish for my nails. It looked horrible, but it was her wedding. I'd get Rose to fix it when I got home.

We finally parted ways and I noticed Brittany following the rest of us aimlessly and realized with a start that I hadn't seen her talking to anyone all afternoon. Again, I felt a momentary pang, but then I decided I didn't really care.

Jake was already up and dressed when I got to the room and I had to take a moment to just appreciate the beauty that was Jake in a suit. He grinned at me and did a slow turn, his arms held out.

"Mama like?"

I laughed and stood up on my toes, kissing him lightly. "Mama love."

He grinned and smacked my butt. "Go get dressed so we can get this over with."

"Hey, a wedding is not something you 'get over with,' it is something to be carefully planned and enjoyed."

He shrugged. "I'm not really that interested in an actual wedding. If my girl wants to get married, I'd be up for eloping over anything else."

"You don't want your friends and family around?" I asked surprised.

He shook his head. "No."

I studied him for a minute. "Huh."

"What? You want a big fancy wedding? Or something like this?"

"Well, no, but I do want a wedding. I want to wear my mom's dress and feed my husband cake and dance and just…have a wonderful time."

He nodded. "Well, to each his own."

"Yep."

I was thoughtful as I dressed, going over that conversation in my head. I always knew that Jake wasn't the marrying kind, but for some reason, I had just figured that it wouldn't matter until and unless we'd been together a while. Now…I was realizing it did matter.

The wedding was short and simple and I was relieved that my skirt stayed down, though I definitely had the attention of every man in the room. Well, me and the other two bridesmaids. In this instance, I knew that Brittany was obviously the better option. She looked downright classy in a simple blue sheath with red accents. Before I knew it, I was walking back up the aisle on Mike's arm, smiling brightly for everyone.

Mike. It had been surprisingly easy to be with him all afternoon long. He looked properly apologetic and ashamed, so that helped significantly. Plus, he didn't talk to me. That was the best part of the whole evening. No half-assed attempts at apologies or explanations, just meek silence.

Jake immediately draped his jacket around my shoulders, enveloping me in his warmth the moment I reached him. I smiled up at him gratefully, slipping tiredly into my seat.

The food came, the toasts were made, the dancing and cake and everything that was supposed to happen at a wedding happened. Jake sat beside me, getting a little fidgety over the course of the evening but smiling at me every time I glanced his way in what I'm sure was meant to be a reassuring manner.

I toyed with my fish for a moment before pushing back and grabbing his hand. "Come on, let's dance."

"Ok." He smiled at me and led me out onto the dance floor.

He rested his hand on my waist, holding my hand in his other and started to move me around the floor easily.

"Jake," I said after a moment "I'm not sure how to say this."

"We don't really work," he said softly. "As a couple. Right?"

I sighed. "Right. I'm sorry…"

"No, no. I see it too, Bells. You want to settle down and get married and have kids and I…don't."

I nodded and studied his face anxiously for a moment.

He was quiet as we danced. "I still want to be your friend. It'll be weird but I think we'll be fine."

"It'll only be weird if we make it weird," I said firmly. "We're both stubborn as hell."

"Well, it'll be a little weird, especially when you and Edward finally make it happen."

I stopped dancing and looked up at him. "Me and Edward?"

"Yeah." He looked at me with a semi-surprised look, then laughed. "Oh come on. You think the rest of us are blind? You two are so going to end up together. I'm just a pit stop. Even I knew that."

"And it doesn't bother you?"

He shrugged slightly. "Well, some, but you two are my best friends and I want you to be happy together."

"And the sex thing? The fact that you and I had sex and he and I will?"

He laughed softly. "I think that is the main part that will be weird, actually. And really, it'll just be between us guys."

I smiled and stood up on my toes, kissing him lightly. "So you're ok if Edward and I start dating when we get home?"

"I'd be shocked if you didn't."

I twisted my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck and pulled his face down to mine, resting my forehead against his cheek. "Thanks for being a good friend."

"I owe you. You cook for me and put up with my shit."

I laughed softly and stepped back. "Can I go call Edward now?"

"Go for it. I'll start packing so we can get out of here first thing tomorrow."

I grinned and we headed out. I changed into pjs and grabbed my cell phone, disappearing to the nook from the night before while Jake started to pack up our shit. I punched in Edward's number and curled up in a seat, waiting for him to answer.

"Hey Bella. What's up?"

I smiled. "Hey Edward. Can we talk?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Jake and I are breaking up."

"Fuck, what'd he do?" He sounded pissed.

I laughed softly. "Nothing Edward, calm down. I just…I realized that the life I want isn't the life Jake wants and it matters to me."

"What do you mean 'the life you want?'"

I sighed and toyed with the hem of my tank top. "I want to get married and have babies and drive a minivan and all that shit. And he doesn't."

"Oh." Edward's voice was a lot calmer now. "So, is one of you moving out?"

"No, we're going to be ok to stay roommates. It's just…" I poked my finger into my shirt, wrapping the fabric around it. "I want that life with you, Edward. I want you."

There was a long silence on the other end. If it weren't for the fact I could still hear him breathing, I'd have thought he hung up.

"Edward?" I breathed, terrified that my confession had fucked everything up.

"Jesus, Bella," he finally managed. "You tell me this over the phone?"

I blinked, unsure. "Um…yes?"

"Great. Real nice." He blew out a loud puff of breath. "How am I supposed to react over the phone?"

"Well, what the fuck would you do if I was sitting across from you?" I demanded annoyed.

"I'd grab you and kiss you and probably drag you to the closest flat surface."

"Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

I sat for a long moment before bursting out laughing. "Edward, I love you. Like, really do love you."

"I love you too, Bella," he said softly.


	12. Chapter 12: A Wedding Among Friends

Tali: Sorry for the lack of any kind of note last time! It wasn't the last chapter, this is. I just got to a point with this story where….I didn't want to write it anymore. I didn't care who you voted for, I even toyed with the thought of having Bella run away with some random stranger. I'm still kind of there, so forgive me if this chapter isn't up to par. I'm thinking I'm going to take away my self-imposed deadlines to reduce my stress a bit.

***

Rose dropped into the empty chair beside me and let out a huge sigh. "I am so fucking tired you don't even know."

I grinned and picked up her left hand, surveying her new band. "I have a vague inkling, actually."

She rolled her eyes and squeezed my hand. "So how long until we can sneak away and start our honeymoon without causing gossip?"

I chuckled and looked around the room. Edward and Emmett were standing at the bar, chatting easily, Jake was dancing with his latest flavor of the week, a hot little Latin college student he'd met at the garage. Rose's parents were dancing slowly, ignoring the thumping beat of the music. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Well, considering you already started in the bathroom, I think you could go anytime."

She looked at me, horrified. "How do you know about that?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're not exactly quiet, Rose."

"Holy fuck. Who all heard?"

"Not many. Edward, Jake, me, a couple other random people."

"Hey, speaking of you three, how's that going?"

I smiled and shifted in my seat, toying with my glass. "Pretty well actually. It was awkward at first, you know, what with Jake being there and Edward moving into my room a week after the wedding, but we got over it. Jake offered to pass on some tips to Edward and I thought I'd die of mortification, but…we're good. Everyone's pretty happy."

"I still can't believe how that all turned out. You're living with both of them."

"Yes."

"Like, your ex and your current."

I laughed and nodded. "Yes. It's not that bad, honest. Jake and I were friends first, lovers second."

"Still. Weird."

I shoved her lightly.

"Hey now, no bruising the merchandise. I just got that."

We looked up as Emmett and Edward strolled over, looking dashing and James Bondian in their tuxes. I laughed as he leaned over and kissed her. "I'm not bruising her. She's harping on the Trio."

"Well, that's cause it's weird," Edward commented, sitting next to me and kissing my bare shoulder.

I elbowed him lightly, then kissed his cheek to make up for it. I wiped at the lipstick smudge on his face. "So what if it's weird? It works for us. We're friends and anyone who thinks that it's weird for friends to live together can fuck themselves."

"Damn, Bella, if you have an opinion about something, speak up."

We looked up as Jake and his date approached us. She was smiling widely, her face flushed and dewy from exertion. I was a little jealous I didn't look that good when sweaty from dancing or something. They dropped into the last of the vacant chairs at the table. Jake leaned forward and grabbed my glass, downing the contents in one gulp. He made a face at me.

"What the fuck is that?"

"Sparkling grape juice," I laughed, taking my glass back and grabbing the bottle of grape juice again, pouring myself another glass. "The champagne is over there."

"Why are you drinking the kiddie stuff?" he wondered, leaning over the table to grab the alcohol. "What, are you pregnant or something?"

Edward froze beside me and I shot him a furtive glance. "Um…sort of."

Rose choked on her drink. "Shut the fuck up," she exclaimed, shoving me lightly.

"Hey, don't bruise the merchandise," Edward laughed, scooting his chair closer and slipping his arm around my shoulders. "I've only had her for a couple months."

"Long enough though. Damn."

I looked at Jake, anxiously. "Are you ok?"

"Am _I_ ok?" he asked with surprise. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well…this is weird, what we've all got."

"See? I told you," Rose crowed triumphantly, grabbing the bottle from Jake.

I laughed. "Yeah yeah."

"So why are you just now telling us all this?" demanded Jake. "How long have you known?"

"About a month," Edward laughed softly.

"We didn't say anything because we wanted this to be Rose and Emmett's night."

"Are you kidding me? I would totally share," Rose huffed, sipping her champagne.

"No you wouldn't," countered Emmett affectionately. "You've been a total bridezilla."

Rose stared at him, hurt. "I have not."

"Please, you so have," Jake grinned, leaning back and resting his arm on the back of his date's chair.

Rose scowled. "I've been holding back."

"Shit."

We sat in silence, letting that soak in for a moment. Then I burst out laughing. "It's a good thing you have or we might have killed you. We had a plan to drug and kidnap you, running off to Vegas to marry you to Emmett so you'd calm the hell down."

"Now wouldn't that be a fun story to tell, two Vegas elopements, one voluntary, one forced."

"How do you know I didn't force Bella?" teased Edward, twisting a couple of strands of my hair around his fingers.

"Um, because we were all there and so were your parents. As elopements go, it was kind of lame."

"Shut up, it was perfect. Just what we wanted." I smiled up at Edward. "It was perfect," I repeated, just for him. He kissed my forehead and I rested my head against his shoulder, perfectly content.

"Well, I need to get this one home," Edward said after a moment of silence among the six of us. "She's got work in the morning."

I groaned but let him pull me up out of my chair. I leaned over, hugging Rose and then Emmett goodbye.

"Congratulations you two," I smiled. "I know you'll be happy together."

"Congratulations right back," Emmett grinned. "I expect to have a namesake in that kid."

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Keep dreaming. If we name it after anyone, it's one of us."

"Lame."

I ruffled his short dark hair then turned to Jake. "Dinner tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Hells yeah."

I chuckled and gave him a hug. "Walk us out," I whispered into his ear.

He looked at me with surprise but nodded, standing up. "I'll be right back, babe."

His date nodded, smiling at us. "It was nice to meet you, Bella," she said sweetly.

"You too." I had no idea what her name was. I linked my arm in Edward's and we walked out into the warm summer air. Edward kissed my temple and headed out to get the car, leaving me alone with Jake for a moment. I turned and studied him.

"How are you with this?" I asked quietly, motioning to my stomach.

"It shouldn't matter how I am."

"It does to me and to Edward. We don't want to hurt you or make you feel uncomfortable."

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't deserve friends like you."

"No, you really don't."

He laughed and pulled me into a hug. "I'm happy for you two. You both want kids and now… you've got one. I guess I'm a little worried you won't want me around anymore."

"Why not?"

"Cause now you'll have a baby and you don't need two kids right out of the gate."

I sighed and smacked the back of his head. "Jake, you are welcome to stay with us as long as you want, you know that. I understand if you don't want to be around the baby, though."

"Why don't we just play it by ear."

I smiled and hugged him tightly. "I love you Jake."

"I love you too, Bells."

"Do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Find a girl you can be with for more than a week?"

He grinned and kissed my forehead. "I'll work on it."

Edward pulled up then and Jake carefully handed me into the car. He leaned over, peering in through the open window. "I'll be back tomorrow before lunch. Wanna shoot some hoops or something?"

"You're on. Your ass is grass, Black."

Jake grinned and stepped back, patting the roof of the car. We pulled out and headed home, the warm summer breeze blowing through the car. Edward reached over and took my hand in his, his fingers lightly playing with my rings.

"So, Bells, any regrets?" he asked as we got home.

"About what?" I asked with surprise.

"Your life. Mike, Jake, me…any regrets there?"

I chuckled. "Not a one. Mike taught me that I needed to find a man who was going to treat me well. Jake taught me that I needed to find a man who would treat me well and who wanted the same things in life that I did. You…are that man. In one neat little package."

"Well, not that little," he teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Not little, but you know what I mean."

He stopped me at the door to our room, slipping his arms around my waist and kissing me. "I learned the same things, basically. Jessica taught me that sometimes, what's comfortable isn't what's best. Jake taught me not to sit around when I knew what I wanted. And I'm extremely glad to have it."

"Glad I'm an it."

"You know what I mean," he murmured, his mouth on my earlobe. "Now, I think it's time for you to slip into something more comfortable…like maybe nothing at all."

I grinned. "Are those orders, doctor?"

"Yep. And you shouldn't disobey the doctor. Bad things could happen."

He walked me backwards across the room, tugging on the straps of the silk dress, his fingers deftly unzipping the dress. I fell backwards onto the bed, laughing as Leo jumped, yowled his displeasure, and shot out of the room.

"You've upset him."

"He was in the wrong place," Edward muttered, quickly disrobing and crawling on top of me. "He should know better by now."

"Poor kitty," I laughed, adjusting slightly. "Until you came along, he was the main man in my life."

"He'll survive. He has his hate to sustain him."

I pulled Edward to me for a kiss. "I'm glad I have something more positive than that to sustain me."

"Me too."


End file.
